Runaways
by X DarthMonkey X
Summary: NaruHina Devastated by murder and a dark secret in Konoha, Naruto fled the village and country, but with him came a quiet girl from his childhood.
1. Over the Edge

**=`=`Summary:**

After two years, Naruto returns to a village unwilling to accept him. He is shown unsettling truths about Konoha, and when he sees the outcome of Sasuke's latest ambition he loses hope and leaves the doomed village. There is still one last chance to keep Naruto from falling into the same darkness as Sasuke has. Can Hinata keep his spirit alive?

**Rated T for: **Language and violence.

**Pairings: **NarutoxHinata, SakuraxLee, maybe others (Tiny NarutoxIno)

**Main Genre: **Drama/Romance (Maybe angst? If you could call it that.)

**Sub-Genre: **Action/Adventure

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

**IMPORTANT NOTES: **Multichap.

**-Chapter 1: Over the Edge-**

* * *

Two figures approached the gates to Konoha. One tall with long white hair. One shorter with messy blonde hair and telltale whisker-marks on his face.

"So we're finally home." Naruto smiled slightly. _This will be interesting._

"Open the gates!" Jiraiya yelled up at the ANBU guards.

"State your name." The guard poofed down to the ground in front of them, then realized who they were. "Jiraiya-sama! My apologies, I didn't realize it was you."

"No problem. Can we enter?"

The guard looked down at the boy next to the Sannin and saw a taller, but otherwise unchanged Naruto. _It's the Kyuubi kid, what's he doing back here?_ "Yes, you may enter."

Jiraiya and Naruto walked into the village, which appeared completely unchanged from two and a half years earlier, save for the fact that Tsunade's face hung on the monument with a solemn look on her face, just like all the previous Hokages.

"It's gonna be weird without Tsunade-obaachan..." He stared solemnly at the stone carving. His voice was deeper now than it was three years ago, and he actually sounded a little older than fifteen.

"Yes Naruto. It will be..." Jiraiya sighed and looked up at the monument as well. "It happens to everyone. People die."

"Yeah... I just never imagined it could happen to her." His gaze returned to the path in front of them and he hid his emotions like a good ninja. His eyes no longer held the same warmth that they had before. It was still there, somewhere... But he had buried it with the rest of his feelings.

"Naruto, this is part of being Hokage. A Hokage must be willing to give his or her life for the village."

"But, Tsunade was killed by an assassin. Not defending the village."

"There are things that we may never understand. The Sannin have been reduced to two, and we must simply accept it. The answers will come soon enough. For now though, I'm going to report our arrival to the Sixth Hokage."

Naruto knew what that really meant and put on a sarcastic smile. "Information gathering, huh?"

Jiraiya coughed a little. "That does not concern you."

"Okay, Whatever. I'm going to go see some old friends."

He walked down the streets of Konoha that cloudy day. People instantly recognized him as the 'demon boy' and he received the familiar hateful glares. Although it didn't show, the stares had more effect than when he had left. He had hoped that when he returned, the citizens hearts would have been softened toward him. But that was not to be.

He arrived at Ichiraku ramen and had a short chat with Ayame and the old man, feeling somewhat reassured because they didn't hate him. When he had finished his sixteen bowls of ramen, he paid, thanked them for the meal and headed off to his next destination: Konoha Ninja Academy.

"Iruka-sensei!" He smiled widely, seeing his father-figure for the first time in years.

"N-Naruto!" he had a smile matching that of his old pupil. "You've returned!"

Naruto's gaze drifted over the class in front of his old teacher, it consisted of the Konohamaru Corp., a small Hyuuga girl and many other eleven-year-olds. He looked back at the front of the room and noticed someone else.

Iruka's assistant teacher stared in shock at the blonde boy that had entered the room. Hey lavender eyes fixated on his face. "N-Naruto-kun..."

"Hinata!" He smiled at her and lifted his hand in greeting. "Long time no see."

Words weren't coming to her mouth, but fortunately for her Konohamaru decided to speak up.

"Naruto-nii-san!"

"Heh, Oi Konohamaru!" He turned to see his adopted little-brother. "Good to see you." He noticed something about the boy now, he had all his teeth for one thing. But he also stood rather tall. "Hey, that's not fair. I wasn't that tall when I was twelve, and you're just ten or eleven!"

Konohamaru smiled proudly. "And I'm stronger than you were, too."

"Yeah whatever."

"Okay class, you can all go outside for recess. I suggest you all go train in something. Other teachers will be out there to help you with anything you might need." Iruka instructed. "Come back in half an hour. That should be enough time for some light training I think."

"Yes, Sensei!" The kids all ran outside, but they weren't going to waste any time training. It was time to play. But the Konohamaru Corps stayed to catch up with their big brother.

_I wonder what was wrong with Hinata..._ Hanabi wondered to herself. _She didn't seem frightened really, just... ehh whatever, I'll ask her later._ She went out to train with her Shuriken throwing like the diligent ninja she was and forgot all about her sister for the moment.

Back in the classroom, Naruto, Iruka, Hinata and the Konohamaru Corps were happily talking. Well, all but Hinata, who was too shy to say anything more than an occasional 'Yes'.

Suddenly, Naruto's expression became a bit more serious. "Hey, Iruka-sensei?"

"Hmm?"

"About Tsunade..." he looked at him dead in the eye. "Why...?"

"That's part of her job. Hokage is supposed to protect the village with her life."

"That's what everyone says, but she didn't do anything for the village by dying like that."

Hinata noticed the comforting warmth in his eyes disappear, she thought that suddenly he seemed like someone who had seen far too much in his lifetime. And little did she know, she was right. He was more willing to kill his enemies now, and had done so on multiple occasions. And besides that, he had seen more at fifteen years old than most people ever have to see in their life, many ninjas included.

"Naruto, we may not know why it happened... but it did. We will always remember her, she did not die for naught. Her two apprentices are still here with us and working hard at the hospital." He smiled a little. "Sakura has blossomed in recent years. Her own medical powers may not be anything like Tsunade-sama's were, but her potential is greater than that of our late Hokage."

Naruto smiled lightly at the mention of his childhood crush. "Yeah, you're right Iruka-sensei."

Hinata saw him brighten up at the mention of the pink-haired girl and slumped. _Does he still like her? What if he loves Sakura?_

"Hinata? You seem sad, are you okay?" He loosened his metaphorical mask a little bit more since they weren't on that sad subject anymore, letting his worry show through.

"I'm... I'm fine, Naruto-kun." She smiled reassuringly.

"Okay... Well, I'm off to the hospital to see Sakura-chan and Shizune-ne-chan."

"Bye, Naruto-kun..."

"Hey, Naruto. I'll take you out for ramen tomorrow night, deal?"

"Sweet! I'll hold you to your word, Iruka-sensei." He smiled and left the school, heading off to the nearby hospital.

"Hinata..."

"Yes?"

"You still love him, don't you?" Iruka smiled at his temporary assistant, what he said was making her blush shades that she hadn't blushed in years.

"Yes... I do..."

"He'll get it someday, just give him time."

* * *

Naruto continued down the road to the hospital to see his old crush. Over the years, the feelings had changed. He still admired her, but love wasn't a priority to him anymore. He realized now that there are more important things.

"Is Sakura-chan here?" He asked the lady at the desk.

"Yes, hold on." She recognized him as well, but tried not to let it show, and politely told him where to go to find the pink-haired girl.

"Thanks!" He replied politely, not letting her know that he was aware of her attitude toward him. He knew what she thought of him, she was just like all the other villagers.

_That kid's back again. _She watched him walk quickly down the halls. _Things should get interesting soon, I guess...  
_

"Sakura-chan!" He called when he saw her walking along to her next patient. "Can I walk with you?"

"Naruto!" She smiled at seeing her old friend again. "When did you get back?"

"Just today!"

She glared at him. "You didn't come to see me first did you?" She suspected such a move, after all.

"No, I saw Ayame and old man Ichiraku first!" He smiled indignantly.

"Of course..." She drooped her head a little. "Still with the ramen..."

"Well, yeah but then I went to see Iruka-sensei. I saw Hinata there too, she hasn't changed a bit."

"Really?" She perked up a little. _I'll bet she was happy to see him._

"Yeah. She still just as shy and weird as she was before."

Sakura's eye twitched involuntarily. "Whatever..." After talking like this, Sakura got a little more serious. "Naruto, have you gone to meet the Hokage yet?" She asked, noticing the immediate transformation he underwent that moment. Suddenly he seemed to know more than he wanted to.

Every time something that would normally make him burst out in random noise or make him sad happened, he would now don his 'new mask' as nobody called it. It was different from his usual mask in that it didn't make him look an idiot. But it didn't show anything at alll, except to those who cared for him most.

Only those that cared for him were able to notice the change from warmth to dead cold. Only Jiraiya, Hinata, Iruka and Sakura had noticed it so far, but none of them knew what it meant. None of them had ever thought that there was someone else under the happy, noisy kid.

"No..." He said simply. "I haven't."

"Well you should, he's different than the other Hokages were, but he's a very strong ninja."

"How is he different?" He already knew how. The new Hokage was not as kind-hearted as the previous ones. He could tell that was what she meant by the tone of her voice.

"He's... more efficient." She chose her words carefully. "He may seem like some stuck-up ass sometimes, but he really has the village's best intentions at heart."

"We'll see..." He stared into her eyes and she saw something she had never seen before. Even at the funeral of the Third Hokage, he had not seemed so solemn.

Fortunately, someone else rounded the corner and saw them.

"Shizune-sama." Sakura smiled at her medical partner. "Look who's back!"

Naruto suddenly was back to his happy self again and turned with a smile on his face. "Oi, Shizune-nee-chan!"

"When did you get back?" She asked the boy.

"Just today."

"Really? That's great!"

* * *

After he had seen Shizune and Sakura, he decided it was time to get some new clothes. His current training suit was beaten and torn up. Unluckily for him, he didn't remember which stores he was forbidden in, and which ones merely tolerated him at best.

He walked into a clothing store and started browsing through some stuff, only to be spotted quickly by the clerk and thrown out, politely but sternly.

_They should know better than that. Seriously if they think I'm the Kyuubi then why do they try to provoke me?_ He sighed to himself and started walking down the road when it started raining. "Great... I really need to find some shelter." He looked around and spotted a familiar girl walking into a store.

He walked up to the glass door and tried to enter, but it was locked. _Great... This sucks._

"I'm home, mom!" She called as she walked in the door. "Mom? Hello? I guess she's not here..." She sighed and started putting the groceries away when she heard someone tapping on the door. When she went to answer it she was quite surprised and let him in. "Naruto, is it really you!"

"Thanks Ino."

"N-No problem..." She was surprised by his politeness. "How long have you been back?"

"Heh, everyone asks that. I just got back today, a few hours ago."

"Cool..."

"Umm, if you want I can leave. I'm not sure your parents would appreciate my being here." He had never met Ino's parents, so they probably didn't like him.

"No, I'm sure it's no trouble. As long as you stay in the shop they won't mind." She smiled sweetly. Ino was always difficult to understand and this just confused him more.

_What happened to the Sasuke-obsessed, whiny bitch she used to be? _He wondered to himself. _Oh well, it doesn't matter._

"So what were you doing out in the rain?" She interrupted his thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh I was just looking for some new clothes, my orange jumpsuits are all beat up and I thought I should get a new outfit."

"Finally! Stupid Naruto gets new clothes!" She exclaimed in a way that somehow he didn't find really rude.

"Hey, I happen to like orange." He shot back in an annoyed tone.

"Well yeah whatever. So if you were shopping, why are you still wearing your old clothes, and you don't have a shopping bag on you."

"Ummm... I couldn't find anything I liked..." He decided not to let her know about being kicked out of the stores he went to.

"Well I can help." She said, then wondered why she offered to help him. Then she just thought to herself, _Oh whatever, I get to go shopping!_

"Really?" His eyes widened a little. "Thanks, Ino."

"No problem, I love shopping!" She smiled happily and looked out the window. "It's still raining, we can go as soon as it stops. I've gotta go put the rest of this stuff away, could you wait here?"

"Okay."

After it had stopped raining, Ino dragged Naruto into several stores which by some miracle he didn't get kicked out of, but got a few weird looks. In fact, he didn't even get so much as a rude comment mumbled under someone's breath in any of the stores he was dragged into.

Ino was too preoccupied with picking out clothes to notice the looks she was getting for being around him. After a while she had picked out a few outfits, which he was surprised to see that they seemed perfect for him. Sure they didn't have as much orange but they worked.

Each one had pockets for various ninja equipment, and most of them seemed to have lots of scroll pockets. Apparently she had noticed the above-average amount of scrolls he now carried with him hanging from various parts of his body.

"Thanks, Ino-chan! You're a lot nicer than I always thought." He waved goodbye and headed off to his own apartment.

"Nicer than you thought? I've always been nice!" She growled at him, but he didn't hear. _He's still an idiot..._

* * *

Naruto decided it was better to get it over with, time to meet the new Hokage. He hoped the man would be like the previous Hokages, but remembered the way sakura had said he wasn't.

"This is going to be troublesome." He mumbled to himself and headed toward Hokage tower.

Upon reaching the tower, he was not allowed in by the ANBU guards. "Hey, you guys always let me in to see Tsunade-obachan.

Luckily, or maybe not so, one of the guards on duty had been one of Tsunade's guards as well, when she was alive.

"Naruto, the Sixth is busy at the moment. And Tsunade liked you." _For some as of yet unknown reason._ "Go away, you can receive a mission tomorrow morning."

"But I'm still a Genin, I need a team. And I need to take the exams that are coming up, I need a team for that too."

The guard realized he was right. "Ugh. Go see Kakashi tomorrow about a team. He was your old sensei after all. He might actually want to help you."

"Yeah, whatever." Naruto sulked off

After he had walked for a while, he felt a familiar presence. _What do you want?_

**You're getting sharper.**

_I said what do you want?_

**You could say... I'm curious. I want to meet this new Hokage.**

_And why would you want to do that?_

**I have a hunch... I don't want to kill him. In fact, I won't do anything to hurt him OR you tonight if you take us to him.**

_This is new. You usually want to force your way out of me. Now you've promised not to... Why is he so important to you?_

**I have a suspicion about him. Something seems amiss...**

_Whatever... I don't know why I'm doing this._ He thought toward his inner-demon and jumped atop a roof and started heading to the Hokage tower. This time he would use the balcony.

He was intercepted by two ANBU that were standing on top of the building and decided to take care of them quickly.

The Hokage heard a noise outside and walked out to the balcony, where he saw a blonde boy holding two of the newer ANBU by the necks.

"That's enough, put them down." He said calmly.

Naruto put down the two Special Jounins. _This is sad... The new Hokage must be more lenient than Tsunade._

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." One of the guards said crisply before he and his partner disappeared.

"So, you are Uzumaki Naruto, no?" He smiled strangely.

"Yes."

"What is it you want?"

"I just wanted to meet my new boss, and also to tell you that just because I'm a Genin, don't think I can't handle a class-A mission."

The man laughed heavily. "So you think you're so strong? Do you think that Kyuubi makes you strong?"

"No." He said simply and walked out of the room. He immediately didn't like this man. Sure Tsunade would have probably said similar things if she were bold enough to mention the demon, but she was never so arrogant or cold. _There's something I don't like about him._

**I was right, you are becoming sharper.**

_What's that mean?_

**You didn't think an all-powerful being like myself didn't have a few more tricks did you?**

_What did you do?_

**Nothing. I just did a little digging in his mind, and in the guards as well. And for one thing, they weren't even trying.**

_You think I didn't know that?_

**No, I knew you were aware. But still, isn't it curious? Tell you what, tonight I will show you their memories, well, a few select bits and pieces. You will find them most interesting.**

* * *

Naruto awoke in the middle of the night, terrified by the visions the Kyuubi had shown him.

"Is this... is this all true?" He asked aloud.

**Yes. I cannot invent these memories.**

"But... This means, Konoha will..." He shook his head, it was impossible.

**Yes, Konoha has fallen neatly into his hands. You cannot do anything to stop him as you are now. The villagers believe in him, and the village is more hopeless than it was when I attacked.**

_But Konoha... Kakashi-sensei..._

**Kakashi probably trusts him as much as everyone else. Face it Naruto. There's nothing you can do. Play along or don't play at all.**

* * *

The next day, Naruto went to see his Iruka again. He needed advice, and the Kyuubi's advice was too depressing. He walked into the school room and immediately put up his 'second mask' to hide any negative emotions he may have in the situation. There was a group of people in the room, hiding something his view. He walked through the small crowd to get a better view of what they all seemed to be staring at.

You could never tell, but at this sight, his mind nearly imploded on itself. There lie Naruto's first and most precious person. Dead. He looked around and found a note next to the body that nobody had picked up yet. He took it and read silently, surprised that it was addressed to him.

Naruto, You too will become an avenger. As I am.

_Sasuke, you bastard..._ He retained his composure, just barely, and left the room without ever saying a word. He didn't notice that he was being followed.

He walked all the way to the main gates of Konoha before his follower stopped him.

"N-Naruto-kun... where are you going?"

"... away."

"But why?" She asked.

"Because I'm not wanted here. Nobody wants me around." He said, forgetting about his expedition with Ino, and his meeting with Sakura and Shizune. "I've been hated since the day I was born, and I always tried to prove myself to the village. Now I've lost hope for them all. I give up on them, they've woven themselves a nice comfy web of lies, let them die in it too."

_Naruto-kun? Why are you saying this so suddenly?_ "But... You'll become a criminal if you leave."

"I don't care, If I become a criminal then let them hunt me. They'll never stop me though." He turned and started walking down the path.

"But, you never used to give up!" She said. "You always made it through the toughest things and always stayed happy."

"That 'happiness' as you call it was nothing more than an illusion. I was never happy. And I'm not the same Naruto you knew before. Let me go, you can't stop me."

"But... your way of the ninja..."

He stopped walking for a second. "Hinata... I have always said that I will not go back on my word... So I will return some day long from now and kill this Hokage, and in killing him, I will have avenged Tsunade and I will become Hokage."

"But... but if you kill him..." She couldn't imagine why he would want to do that. "If you kill him then the people will never recognize you... What about your dreams?"

"A person in my position has no correct path laid out in front of him. Dreams are meaningless to me. This is the only way I can survive in this world. Nobody will miss me."

"I... I will miss you!" She cried desperately. "I can't live without you... You always inspired me. But now I can't understand why you are doing this..."

"Hinata, Iruka-sensei told us that there are things that can happen which we will never understand, we must live with them. You must live without me, because you can't stop me."

"N-Naruto-kun... please..." She had a determined look in her eye. _I have to tell him..._ "I... I love you... more than anything..."

He completely froze at this._  
_

"If I can't stop you, then take me with you. Please, Naruto-kun..."

"... no. I have nothing left to stay for, I don't want the same for you" He whispered under his breath and walked to the gate, preparing to jump over the walls when he heard a noise behind him. The noise of metal grinding against metal.

"If you leave me, I will have nothing to live for." She said with a determination in her voice that completely threw him off. On top of that, her headband, usually tied around her neck now hung in her hand with one long gash straight through the leaf symbol and she dropped it on the ground. "I will follow you into the depths of Hell if it means I will be with you."

* * *

**End of chapter 1**

**I fixed some grammar mistakes and removed some awkward Japanese! I'm fixing small problems like this as I re-read the series and prepare to finish it!  
**


	2. Find Them!

**-Chapter 2: Find them! Kakashi's new Mission-**

Hanabi looked in awe and horror at her favorite teacher, laying lifeless on the floor in a dried pool of blood. He had obviously been dead since the previous night.

She watched her older sister's face. Hinata had always looked up to the man, he was almost like family to her. _Hinata must be taking this hard..._

Hinata stared at the man with the same emotions as everyone else. But being more experienced than academy students, she noticed a few things the others hadn't: The wound was large and rough, not created by a knife but something much more destructive. The blood was splattered all over the room, not just below the body. And of course, there was the obvious trench dug through the floor up to a few feet away from the body.

She knew what technique had caused this wound, and only two ninjas knew the move. And to narrow it down more, only one person would drag the Chidori through solid objects, such as the floor, before hitting his target. Uchiha Sasuke.

Hinata saw the blonde ninja walk into the room, emotionless expression in place and that wise-beyond-years look in his eyes. She saw the mask slip a tiny bit when he looked at the body, she saw the shock on his face.

Hanabi watched as Naruto entered, picked up the note and left again. Her older sister picked up the same note and quickly read it, then immediately hurried off after the blonde boy, leaving the note on the floor.

* * *

Later that day, Sakura was walking out of a patient's room when she saw a familiar figure walk up to her.

"Oi, Lee-kun." She smiled happily at her boyfriend of two years.

"Good morning, Sakura! I was wondering if you could train with me for a while."

"Sure. I'd be happy to!"

"Yeah!" he did the nice-guy pose for her. "Then shall we go jogging, or sparring, or weight-lifting, or-"

"Jogging sounds nice." She was a little annoyed, he still got this way sometimes. At least he didn't wear that hideous green outfit anymore... well, not ALL the time, just one out of three days.

"YEAH!" He smiled and his teeth gleamed with shininess. "Then let us go, Sakura!"

So they went jogging around the village for a while. Eventually they ran by the main gate and he noticed something strange.

"What's that?"

She looked in the direction he was pointing. Two kunai were embedded in the Konoha main gate, each holding something to the giant wooden doors.

The first one held a note with some weird symbol, and the second knife had another note with only a few words on it.

You won't find us until it's too late.

Yellow Fox.

"What could that mean?" She wondered aloud and pulled the knives out of the wood. She looked more closely at the weird symbol on the other note, hoping that it would have some clue as to who had drawn it. Maybe it would be a family crest or something like that. But she didn't recognize it. It seemed something like a spell tag or something of that sort.

She put the strange tag in her pouch after a short examination yielded no useful information and looked more closely at the note. "What does this mean?" She flipped it over and saw a drawing of the Konoha leaf symbol, the center of which was where the knife point had been stuck through into the door.

They heard someone walking up behind them and turned around to see a silver-haired man looking over their shoulders, a troubled expression in his visible eye. After a minute of deep thought, he said. "Find Naruto, now."

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura replied dutifully.

"YES, Kakashi-san!" Lee said with his usual large amount of emotion and excitement in his voice.

They scrubbed the village for the boy, noticing a very angry-looking Hyuuga main family head as they searched. Eventually it was lunchtime, and every square inch of the village had been searched by one of the three shinobi, yielding no results. Kakashi had searched all of Naruto's hiding spots, all that he knew of. He was sure there were more but doubted that the boy would be hiding anywhere.

They met at Ichiraku ramen, half expecting to see him there since he was Naruto after all.

"So none of us found him." Kakashi said sadly. "This means we have lost Naruto. But who is it that went with him? The note said 'You won't find us'."

* * *

Hyuuga Hiashi was waiting impatiently for his daughter, it was time for her training and she was late. _She has not been late for training in a very long time..._ He sighed impatiently. _This must have something to do with the return of the Kyuubi boy._

He activated his Byakugan and searched for the Hyuuga clan tracking note that every main-family member wore at all times. The Hyuuga tracking notes were like explosive notes, only instead of blowing up they emitted a signal that was activated by being within range of an active Byakugan, and would seem to glow brightly to the Byakugan user, and he quickly saw it. But not around his daughter's neck like it should have been.

He saw the glow emanating from the pocket of a pink-haired, red-clad girl running around and frantically looking for something.

_Why does Haruno Sakura have Hinata's headband?_ He wondered to himself and decided to follow the girl. Eventually he wound up at Ichiraku Ramen. _I don't want to be seen here... But this is important clan business._ He walked into the establishment like he owned it and went straight to the group that had been searching for Naruto.

"Why do you have Hinata's headband in your pocket?"

Sakura looked up at him questioningly. "I don't have anyone's headband... just mine." She said and pointed at the top of her head.

Hiashi stared at her coldly. "You have her Hyuuga tracking tag."

Sakura pulled out the strange tag and Hiashi nodded. "Where is she?"

Kakashi quickly put two and two together. "Hiashi-sama. If that is indeed Hinata-sama's tracking tag, then she is now gone from the village." He explained slowly and calmly. "She has most likely followed Naruto, it seems he has left as well. We don't know why but it may have something to do with the death of Iruka."

"WHAT!" He screamed, barely retaining his prideful dignity. "SHE FOLLOWED THE KYUUBI BRAT!"

His words hit Sakura like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, several things fell into place in her head, and hundreds of questions arose.

"Hiashi-sama, it is forbidden to say such things." Kakashi closed his eye, it was too late to keep the two younger ninjas from hearing what the man had said.

"I don't give a shit!" Hiashi yelled sternly. "My daughter is following a demon outside the village, she is too weak. He will probably kill her!"

Kakashi's eye shot open and he stared coldly at the Hyuuga clan leader. "Hyuuga Hiashi. Naruto is many things, but a demon is not one of them."

Sakura and lee were stunned, staring at each other with surprise. They watched Kakashi's and Hiashi's confrontation as they tried to piece together the clues.

"Kakashi, you should know not to speak to me like that. I know what that boy is."

"No." Kakashi closed his eye again and turned away. "There is nobody alive who really knows him... Not anymore at least." He thought of the two people that understood him most: Tsunade and Iruka. The sight of Iruka, laying dead on the floor, was burned into his brain now. Not because he was particularly close the the man, but because of the way he was killed.

By Chidori.

"I will see the Hokage, he should know right away." Kakashi said calmly as he walked toward the Hokage tower.

When he got there the guards let him in after he explained the situation with as small amount of detail as possible. He went straight to the office of the Hokage to explain the rest.

"Hatake Kakashi." The tall, green-eyed man smiled at the Jounin. "What have we here?"

To most people, the Hokage would seem warm and friendly at first. Eventually though, you would see that he is ruthless and efficient, and not the person you would want to fight against. Somehow though, his ruthlessness had helped Konoha to recuperate from the Sound's attack three years before. He had long dark hair and tan skin. His hair tied up and tucked under his light body armor, which was partially concealed under the Hokage robes. He had green eyes that always seemed to be shifting from side to side, watching for an assassin or something of the sort.

"Hokage-sama, I bring bad news."

* * *

In the forest many miles away from the village, two figures walked briskly through the brown and red colored leaves. It was the late autumn and the temperatures were beginning to drop before winter. Fortunately for the taller one, he always wore a jacket. But the shorter, dark-haired girl had left in a hurry and was wearing a light shirt. Unfortunately, she would feel the cold when it became winter if they didn't stop somewhere to get clothes.

But her mind was not focused on the temperature right now. She was thinking back to that morning, she had decided to abandon her village. She had left everything behind for one person, on a whim, but had no regrets. She somehow knew that she would stay by his side forever, to make his dreams come true.

She raised her hand to the forehead protector which was tied around her head now. She hadn't bothered to replace it in its original position under her chin since Naruto had put it there.

**-Flashback-**

Naruto turned and stared at the slashed headband by her feet.

"Why do you want to follow me?" He asked with a mix of emotion in his voice.

"I already told you why..." She hesitated a little, barely believing she had been able to gather the courage to tell him. "It's because... I-I love you, Naruto-kun."

He looked up at her and stared into her eyes. She could feel his comforting presence again, and see the warm light he had always carried before, though he still had a weird, disbelieving look in his eyes.

"I think you're wrong." He stated calmly. "But whatever you believe, come if you want." He said and removed his forehead protector, replacing it with one that he had kept in his pocket for almost three years. This one had a clean strike through its center, like the one laying on the floor next to Hinata's feet.

After he finished tying Sasuke's old forehead protector around his head, he walked to her and picked up the one she had cast aside. "But, you must wear this. We will not be cowards who hide our identities." He said and quickly tied it around her forehead.

"Let's go, I've wasted enough time." He said as the cold look returned to his eyes.

**-End Flashback-**

Naruto walked silently, neither of them had said a word since they left the village that morning, and it was almost sunset now. He put his hand in his pocket, not because it was cold, but to make sure he still had one unscathed Konoha Headband.

_If she ever wants to return, she can use my headband, nobody will have to know that she left willingly._ He thought to himself. _She will be able to return to her normal life. But I am no longer a ninja. I have abandoned my village. Someday, when I return... I will avenge Tsunade and become Hokage. But I must also find Sasuke... If I have to kill him... That is my promise to myself._

He looked at the sun, it was setting now and he watched as it drifted below the horizon. A half hour later he finally spoke again.

"Let's set up camp." He pulled off his backpack and dropped it next to a tree as she did the same. He dug around for a minute before pulling out a tent and started setting it up. "Ummm... I didn't think to pack a second tent." He said awkwardly.

"I don't mind." She smiled at him, then she realized exactly what this meant. _OH NO! We're sleeping in the same tent, alone?_ Normally she would have danced with joy... or fainted from said joy. But either way, today's attitude was too solemn and didn't allow for things like that, except for his awkward comment a few seconds before. Maybe tomorrow would be happier. Yes, tomorrow would be their true beginning.

* * *

Oddly, Kakashi had been told to collect his team and start the search the next morning. He knew it might take a long time to track the boy. And on top of that, he had no idea how strong Naruto was now. He decided to get a good night's sleep as it would probably be his last full night for a long time.

The next morning, he went to the Hokage's office again to get the ANBU teams he would be leading. He was wearing his mask that he had received when he was an ANBU captain. His old regulation armor still fit him perfectly, making him very pleased that he was able to keep his figure over the years.

"Okay, everyone. Time for a quick briefing." He sighed, this would not be fun. "Basically, we're out to find two ninjas that left the village yesterday."

"Who left?" The bear-mask asked.

"A girl named Hyuuga Hinata left, willingly, we think." Kakashi explained carefully, he didn't want them to think she was forced to go. If they thought that, they might try something extra-funny on Naruto.

A small murmur arose in the group of eight men, with Kakashi as their leader and ninth member. The Hyuuga heiress had run away. Kakashi heard several members comment on how Hiashi was too tough on her and he smiled under his mask, apparently he wasn't the only one that believed the man was too rough. Eventually someone asked. "Who else left?"

"Well, you should recognize this name as well. She left with a boy called Uzumaki Naruto."

Kakashi was a little surprised by their reaction. Instead of the loud and rude comments he had expected, and gotten from Hiashi, he heard complete silence. He decided to continue.

"We think that she left with him of her own will. Our job is to retrieve both shinobi, preferably alive. If they sustain injury, that's not unacceptable, and... you're authorized to kill one of the targets. I'm sure you're all aware of the reasons for the Hokage sending so many of us to bring back only two Genin."

The men all nodded silently, and Kakashi knew what they were thinking: Kill the Kyuubi kid.

_I hope he has become stronger, because these guys aren't playing games._ "Move out!"

* * *

Hinata awoke in the middle of the night at some strange rustling noises. _Hunter-nins already? No, it's too loud..._ She looked over to the other end of the tent and saw the source of the noise, Naruto was shifting around in his sleeping bag. She could tell he was having nightmares. _Naruto-kun... what are you dreaming about?_

* * *

His body moved against his will, moving slowly and silently, masking its chakra without him telling it to.

_NO! I won't do it!_ He screamed at his body, which no longer was that of a fifteen year old boy but a more muscular, armor-clad one. _NO!_

His body wasn't listening though, and continued stealthily to the door, which was 'conveniently' left open by his associate, who was disguised as one of her guards. He stepped in to see the Hokage fast asleep at her desk, as usual.

_Ts-Tsunade-obachan! WAKE UP!_ He screamed, but it didn't come out his mouth. _WAKE UP YOU OLD HAG! _He painfully realized that she couldn't hear his warnings.

The corners of his mouth turned up in a sinister grin as he slipped a kunai out of his pouch.

_TSUNADE!_

Tsunade's fist flew up at him at full force. Not because she suspected anything, but her body did that instinctively whenever she woke up. He managed to dodge it without too much trouble, and she was still too drowsy to see the knife clenched in his fingers before it slid cleanly through her throat, sending a small spray of blood across her desk. The job was done, and it was time for him to disappear.

"Naruto-kun, please wake up."

* * *

Hinata stared at his sleeping form. He had been mumbling a few things but she could only make out his begging of Tsunade to wake up. _What is his nightmare? Why is he calling for Tsunade-sama?_

She gently shook him. "Naruto-kun... please wake up..."

His eyes half-opened and he looked up at her. He looked like he was about to cry, she had never seen him like this.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

His mask refused to go up to cover his sorrow, and a lone tear rolled down his face. The first time he had shed a tear in years. She stared pitifully at him, wondering what he could have been dreaming about to cause this.

"Hinata..." He just barely whispered her name.

"Naruto-kun... what were you dreaming of?" She asked with more than a little worry in her voice.

"Nothing important..." he stopped and thought for a second. _Can I trust her?_

"Okay..." She looked away, feeling a little guilty that while she had been having happy dreams about the boy that was sleeping in the very same tent, he was having nightmares that were terrible enough to make him cry.

"My nightmares are simply a reminder of what I must do. I have to avenge Iruka-sensei and Tsunade."

"But... revenge? What good will it bring?"

He looked away. Under her gaze he was suddenly ashamed that he had stooped so low as to think seriously about killing his friend. _Am I doing this for revenge? Am I just like Sasuke?_ He remembered the note that he had found next to Iruka's body. _He said that I will become an avenger... _

He was going to tell her to go back to bed, but decided against it. He didn't want to sleep and he did want some company if he was going to stay awake. He felt safer with her, and she seemed to be able to lighten the atmosphere a little, a difficult task considering Naruto's stubbornness.

"Honestly, I don't know if I'm doing this for revenge... But I don't want to talk about sad things anymore. We're going to be together for a long time, might as well start over on a happier note."

She played the words over in her head to make sure she heard right. _We're going to be together for a long time..._ "How long?"

He seemed to think for a minute. "A few years maybe..."

She blinked. Somehow Naruto was still able to take any dark situation and make it comfortable. _A few YEARS! A few years with Naruto-kun..._ She felt a little light-headed, lucky she was sitting down. _What if I let him down?_

"We're not going to return until we're both strong enough to save Konoha."

She blinked again. "W-we?" _Save Konoha?_

"Of course!" he flashed his foxy smile. "You're strong. I definitely wouldn't want to fight you."

She blushed, nobody had ever told her that before. Not even her teammates had ever said that she was strong, not like he just had. She had always believed that she was just a stubborn girl that only got in the way of everyone in the end.

"And besides that, it's always better to have a team. You and I, we'll learn to work perfectly together, starting... ummm... starting tomorrow. When the hunter-nins come to find us they won't know what hit them. They'll be our practice!"

"Hunter-nins... practice!" It sounded utterly ridiculous. Sure, hunter-nins weren't the BEST ninjas in the village, but they were pretty damn good.

"Yeah, it'll be easy for us! I saw you in action three years ago, and you've probably gotten a lot better since then."

She didn't think she had improved much over the years. Her father still called her weak, Neji was still able to beat her in every sparring match. She was better than Hanabi, but she believed it was mostly because of the fact that she was older and bigger than her sister. _I can't disappoint him! He'll be watching me, depending on me. But what if I lose? What will he think of me?_

He yawned a little. He needed sleep, nightmares or not. "Hey, Hinata. Get back to bed, we'll need the energy tomorrow."

"Okay."

He watched her climb back into her sleeping bag and he kept watching her for a few minutes before laying back down. Some small part of him told him to scoot a little closer to the girl. He just ignored it, listening to what he thought of as his logical reasoning instead.

_You better not give me any more nightmares, fox._

**Hah. You wish.**

* * *

**-End of Chapter 2-**

**Revised on 9/4/2011!  
**


	3. True Beginning

**-True Beginning-**

* * *

In Konoha, there are several clans with many special abilities, ranging from Bloodline Limits to simple techniques passed down within a given family.

**(NOTE: Info on several Shinobi clans, you don't have to read it to understand the story but still you should. If you want to skip it, then just skip ahead to the next bold line)**

The Hyuuga clan is the most famous. With their Byakugan, they can see through walls, see anything around them more than 358 degrees horizontal and 358 degrees vertical and many other things. Their powerful taijutsu, called Jyuuken, is used to damage parts of your internal body systems, especially the chakra circulatory system, Not only the Hyuugas can do this, but they can do it with much more ease than normal people because of their ability to see the system. But only the strongest of Hyuugas can see the chakra system clearly enough to make out individual chakra points. Hyuuga Neji is the prodigy of the Hyuuga clan, but is part of the branch family so he cannot succeed the clan.

The Uchiha clan used to be the most famous ninja clan in the village, maybe even the world. But nine years ago, there was a terrible massacre. The history books of all villages give the straight facts: Uchiha Itachi killed them all. Nobody knows why he killed them, or why he spared one member, but for some reason he spared his little brother. Their eyes, called Sharingan, only appear in select members of the family, both surviving Uchihas have them. Sharingan allows you to see through many genjutsu techniques with ease, as well as being able to tell bunshin from the real thing. Very experienced Sharingan users have learned how to copy Ninjutsu and Genjutsu techniques. And one Hatake Kakashi, while not actually a member of the Uchiha clan, has one Sharingan and has perfected the art of copying jutsus.

The Aburame clan's ability is probably the strangest of all clan abilities. They can talk to bugs. They let bugs LIVE in their bodies, feeding off their chakra. In return for a home and food, the bugs will fight for their host. This is very useful, as bugs are small and excellent for spying and other things. Aburame Shino has created many strategies with his 'destruction bugs'. Be careful when fighting him, you might never be able to use chakra again.

The Nara clan is more vague in their abilities. Most people just think of them as the clan that takes care of certain animals for various uses but they also have a powerful type of ninjutsu. The famous 'Shadow Bind' technique of Konoha is actually a Nara clan jutsu. They depend on light and control the shadows that the light creates, always catching their opponent by surprise. Nara Shikamaru is renowned as a genius strategist, and has invented a technique called 'Shadow Imitation', which is a more complex version of 'Shadow Bind'.

The Akamichi clan is fat. Their techniques are all designed to use that fat to its fullest power. They are experts in soldier pills, and have designed some that can burn all of ones body fat and turn it into chakra, LOTS and LOTS of chakra. They are also quite knowledgeable in medicine. In fact, the Akamichi clan medical books are the most extensive single medical record in the Shinobi Nations, save the records of Tsunade herself. Akamichi Chouji uses his family's 'Double Weight' and 'Meat Tank' techniques to literally flatten his opponents.

The Yamanaka clan is known for their mind trick techniques. One of their basic jutsus is called 'Mind Transfer', it basically allows the Yamanaka to enter their opponent's body and take control for any amount of time. There are several weaknesses to this technique though. Yamanaka Ino, along with Nara Shikamaru and Akamichi Chouji, have developed several ways to use it in battle.

**(Note: End of extensive clan info)**

The Inuzuka clan has the ability to talk with dogs. When a child in this clan comes of age, usually around eight to ten years old, he or she is given one or more canine companions that they will fight with for the rest of their lives. The dogs are given when they are a puppy, and grow up alongside their master, the master and his dog are an excellent team because of this. Many dogs in the care of members of this clan can actually speak human languages, although it's much more common to have a dog that barks and growls. Still, the Inuzuka clan can understand their dogs perfectly and usually are a formidable team, even at a young age.

Speaking of the Inuzuka clan, one of them just happens to be walking down the streets of Konoha right now, carrying a single rose in his right hand and walking next to his white dog, Akamaru.

"Yep! Today's the day." Kiba tried to console himself. He was quite nervous. "Uhh... Maybe a little food first wouldn't hurt..." He diverted his path toward the shopping district and ran into two of his friends. "Oh, Lee and Sakura!"

"Good morning, Kiba-san!" Lee said energetically. He and Sakura had spent many hours trying to figure out Naruto's and Hinata's reasons for leaving.

"Hi, Kiba." Sakura smiled at him, then at his dog. "Oi, Akamaru!"

Akamaru was now fully grown. His shoulders were about up to Kiba's waist and he had vicious-looking claws and fangs. To his friends though, he was anything but vicious.

"Ruff!" He barked happily at Sakura and lee, wagging his tail. He was one of the many dogs who couldn't talk.

Sakura saw the rose in the boy's hand and got suspicious. "Hey Kiba, who's the flower for?" She asked teasingly.

"Uhhh..." He instantly hid it behind his back. "N-nothing... Flower? What flower?"

"The one that you just hid." She laughed at him now, wondering to herself who Kiba was interested in.

"Uhhh..." He grinned nervously and scratched his head. "It's for... Hinata..."

Suddenly, Sakura's expression changed and she diverted her eyes.

He was quite confused by the look on her face. "What's that look for?"

Lee had a determined look on his face and clenched his upheld fist. "I'm sorry, Kiba-san! But it appears your flame of love was not-"

"Shut up, Lee." Sakura stepped on his foot, she was particularly skilled in interrupting his speeches when they weren't needed. And it definitely wasn't needed right now. "Sorry Kiba, but you're too late."

"W...What?"

"She left the village yesterday..."

"WHAT?"

Sakura nodded lightly. "It looks like she and Naruto ran away together."

"**WHAT?"** He crushed the flower in his fist, ignoring the drops of blood drawn by its thorns. He didn't really know what to think, he always knew about her crush on Naruto, but he thought he would have a chance now that the obnoxious ninja had been gone so long. Apparently not. _Dammit Naruto, I'm not going to lose to you. Not again._

Sakura and lee watched as he ran toward the Hyuuga home, with a large white dog trying to keep up.

"That's Kiba for you." Sakura shook her head pitifully. "He's almost as bad as Naruto. Just in a different way."

Kiba ran all the way to the Hyuuga residence, where he expected to find a worried Hiashi. Instead though, there was a calm-looking Neji.

"Neji, where's Hinata!" He growled.

"She's left." He said in his usual, emotionless tone. "Hiashi-sama is declaring Hanabi-sama as the clan heir as we speak, I cannot allow you to enter."

"What! But that's Hinata's position!"

"Hinata is no longer a member of this clan."

"Don't you care about her?" Kiba was getting angry now.

Neji looked down for a second, then returned to meet his gaze. "Of course I care. Hiashi-sama on the other hand..."

"WELL, LET ME AT HIM!" Kiba growled and Akamaru barked his agreement.

"After the ceremony, you can see him then." Neji said and pointed to a chair in the entry room. "It will be over shortly, you can wait here if you want."

"Okay..." Kiba said dejectedly. He knew there wasn't any good reason to get worked up there.

Kiba waited for a little less than an hour before Hiashi walked out of the room. _You call that 'short', Neji!_

"Inuzuka Kiba, why are you here?"

"Why haven't you tried to bring Hinata back? Neji says you've disowned her, just because she ran away!"

Hiashi sighed, then started explaining. "She is not strong, and has probably died already without you and Shino protecting her. And if she is still alive, she won't last long enough for the search party to find her. Because of this I have decided not to waste any time and instate a new heir, in case of my own death."

"Naruto wouldn't kill her!" Kiba may have been mad at him, but he did know that the blonde boy wasn't evil.

"Wouldn't he?" Hiashi shrugged. "I don't care. It doesn't matter anymore, we have been relieved of our weak heir and now have a more powerful one. I suppose I have Uzumaki to thank for that."

Kiba couldn't believe what he was hearing. "YOU ASSHOLE! I'm gonna go find Hinata and bring her back! You'll see!" With that he turned and ran from the compound, leaving Hiashi and Neji both shaking their heads.

* * *

Back in the forest, Naruto and Hinata had packed up camp early and started walking again. Naruto was glad it was fall and there were leaves falling to cover their tracks. Even the most skilled tracker would have trouble following their trail by vision alone.

"So how far do you think we are, Hinata?"

"We could be anywhere between twenty and forty miles away... I haven't been paying attention." Two days of just walking, with a good bit of running, can get you pretty far.

"Yeah, me either." He shrugged. "Hmmmm... can you look around for any signs of civilization? Road signs or whatever?"

"Okay, I'll try." She formed the seals for Byakugan and looked around. "There's a river over there, and the forest is coming to an end soon."

"Okay. We've been walking through lots of forests so the leaves could cover our trail. Hopefully we've done it enough and can travel outside the woods now. It'll be more direct that way." He started walking in the direction she had pointed.

When they got to the river, they saw the bridge was out. But this was no problem.

_Okay, I can jump that. _Hinata was measuring the distance across the river. It wouldn't be too hard to jump with a little chakra. It wasn't too wide but if she messed up, she would easily be carried downstream in the fast current. _It shouldn't be too hard._

Naruto on the other hand saw the bridge and started walking across the water instead.

"N-Naruto-kun!" She watched in amazement. The sight of Naruto, who had once been the dumbest ninja in school, performing something like that was a shock. But to make things worse, she wasn't able to do it herself.

**(A/N: Yeah, In my story, she can't do it yet. No complaining allowed.)**

He turned around and saw her startled look. "Hmm? Looks like we're going to have to train hard in the basics." He said, making her heart sink.

_I can't even do the basics? I must be pitiful._

"Okay, Hinata. For now we need to focus on losing anyone who could be following us. I'll help you train as soon as we get a chance. I'm sure you'll take to it easily!" He smiled his giant smile, and suddenly all her worries and doubts vanished.

"Okay..."

He looked at his feet, then downstream and his face brightened. "Hey, Hinata. I've got an idea." He walked back over the river and crouched with his back facing her. "Hop on."

She stared at his back, blushing madly and blinking confusedly. _Did he just say...?_

"Hinata? Come on, we don't have all day."

He was doing it again, saying 'we'. She blushed a little more and oh-so-slowly climbed onto his back. She blushed even more, much more, as she realized she had never been so close to him before.

Innocent as it was, she was thoroughly embarrassed from the feeling of her thighs against his body. And even more so when he put his hands under her legs and started walking toward the river. She was too shell-shocked to hold on to him with her own arms and almost fell off because of that. But lucky for her, her ninja reflexes kicked in and she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You okay?" He turned his head a little and looked back, making sure her relatively small body was still there. Something about her seemed to make him forget about all the dark things he would have normally been thinking about.

She nodded, still blushing.

"Okay, hang on tight!" With that he started running down the river with her on his back. She looked behind them and realized what his idea was. Not even someone who tracked by smell could easily follow them now, since scents don't stick to water. She looked back at his face, expecting to see a determined, concentrating look there. Instead, she saw the usual carefree smile and warm eyes that he always had. It was so different than he had been only twenty-four hours earlier, and she wondered why he seemed so peaceful again.

* * *

"This way!" The small dog said and changed direction suddenly. The nine Special Jounins followed behind him, Kakashi being the closest one since he was the leader.

"Pakkun, how far are we?"

"At this rate, we should catch up in less than an hour. You guys can keep up this pace that long right?"

All the ANBU members nodded 'yes'.

"Okay, we just passed an area that seemed to have a lot of their scent, so that was probably where they camped last night. We can't be too far now."

"Right." Kakashi relayed the information back to anyone who might not have heard it and they continued jumping through the trees.

Eventually they came to a broken bridge and stopped shortly. Pakkun jumped across the river and started sniffing the ground. He frowned after a minute and looked back at Kakashi.

"Pakkun, what is it?" Kakashi asked his summoned dog.

"Their scent ends here. They probably ran up or down the river."

Kakashi thought for a second, then started giving orders. "Okay, team one will go with Pakkun downstream, I'll take team two upstream. We'll meet back here at seven-o-clock tonight. In the case that any team does not show up, you will go in the direction the team went and try to find out what happened to them, but avoid conflict."

"Yes sir!" The eight ANBU split up into two four-man teams and went their respective ways.

_Naruto, I hope my team runs into you. If the other team finds you then I won't be there to stop them if they get too serious._

* * *

Sakura had reported to the Shizune shortly after seeing Kiba. Shizune was the head of the hospital now and was able to assign missions to ninjas under her command for hospital-related tasks. Sakura was to go into the western area of the country and get some supplies from a large city there.

She had left Konoha only one hour after that with a small team consisting of herself, Ino and Lee. They probably wouldn't get there until nightfall and they decided to go at a somewhat fast pace so they wouldn't have to waste time camping one night.

"So is it true?" Ino queried.

"What?"

"Is it true that Naruto and Hinata ran away?"

"That's what it looks like. Lee and I think they ran off together since her dad wouldn't let them be together."

"You're an idiot, Sakura."

"WHAT'S THAT!" Sakura glared at her best friend.

"Naruto wouldn't do that and you know it. That's even stupider than he used to be."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if Naruto is anything like he used to be, then he would have tried to beat up Hiashi. And even if he'd matured, he wouldn't have run away with her. He knows he'd become a wanted criminal that way, and he was always so proud of being a ninja. Even he wouldn't throw that away for a girl."

Sakura realized her friend was probably right. "So, what do you think happened?"

"Maybe they know something we don't know."

"What would be so bad to make them run away from the village?" Sakura wasn't willing to think that Naruto had abandoned the village for more ninja-like reasons. She was happy being her normal naïve self thinking he did it for love.

Ino sighed. _I guess I'd better tell her._ "Sakura..."

"What?"

"You know Iruka-sensei was killed right?"

Sakura saddened a little. "Yeah."

Ino's father was a detective in the Konoha Police. Normally he used his brain-manipulation techniques to dig something out of a suspect's head. But in this case he didn't need that. It was obvious enough with the blood splattered everywhere, the wound and the deep trench in the floor. It was obviously done by the youngest Uchiha. He thought it was brought on by insanity, or maybe a job given to the kid by Orochimaru until he found the note addressed to Naruto, when he came to the conclusion that it was just done to lure Naruto out of Konoha again.

"They say they know who killed him... My dad says that Sasuke did it, and he did it to make Naruto mad."

Sakura thought about that for a minute. _So Sasuke did it? Why would he do that?_ "So we know why Naruto left, he wants to avenge Iruka-sensei... But what about Hinata?"

"She left willingly according to all the reports. Maybe she just wanted to be with him..."

"I guess..."

* * *

Naruto and Hinata ran across a large village. Well, actually it was more of a city than anything else. It had tall buildings and paved streets, cars and only normal civilians, no ninjas. Perfect.

"Hinata. I think we'll stay here tonight. But first we'll get some more supplies." Both their stomachs growled, they hadn't had food in more than twenty-four hours. "And we'll eat!"

So they took off their slashed forehead protectors, a good idea since they would be in a city full of regular people. They went to eat ramen then went out to search of a cheap hotel.

They walked into the lobby of a simple hotel and asked for a single room with two beds. The clerk and a few other people were giving them weird looks. After all, a fifteen-year-old boy and girl ordering a single room, even with two beds, was more than a little questionable.

Naruto got tired of the looks he was getting, but at least they weren't hateful like in Konoha, these eyes seemed to say 'You should be ashamed of yourself.'

He pulled out the unscratched headband and told the clerk. "Don't get the wrong idea, we're on a mission."

Everyone quickly looked away and returned to their own business.

Hinata on the other hand hadn't noticed the looks they were getting. She was too busy thinking of how they were sleeping in the same room. _We slept in a tent together last night, this is no big deal... Why is it such a big deal!_

"Okay, Hinata. You go get some warmer clothes since winter's coming, I'll go make sure nobody followed us to the city. I'll be back here in maybe an hour or two."

"O-Okay..." She couldn't think of a valid excuse to try to go with him, so she just agreed. Besides, he didn't seem too worried about her. That meant one of two things: Either he had confidence in her abilities, or he didn't care. Based on what he had told her last night, it was probably the first. She hoped it was the first at least.

"Alright, see you later." He said and walked off. He had a weird feeling and that little part of him was telling him to get her to come with, but brushed it off.

He went back to the city gates and looked around. It wasn't dark yet but it was getting close. He spotted something he was definitely not expecting.

Four Konoha ANBU and a familiar dog.

_It's Pakkun! That means Kakashi-sensei is with them. Dammit they certainly picked the best to come get us._

He saw Pakkun sniff the ground and start running straight for the city. _Crap, he's smelled us._

Naruto was now a very experienced ninja, he couldn't read body language well in everyday situations, but he could in battle. And he knew by the way that one of them was moving that he wasn't originally from Konoha. Even more, he recognized the movements...

_He's the assassin!_ He felt his anger swelling up inside him. _He's the one who killed Tsunade! He's the one who caused my nightmares!_ He didn't want to contain his emotions anymore. He hated that man, and somehow he almost liked the feeling. This was something completely new to him: Rage.

_Okay foxy, time to give me your power!_

He felt the demon chuckle evilly inside him. **Gladly.**

* * *

Kakashi's group had reached the source of the river; a very large series of cold springs.

"Hmm... I don't smell them." Kakashi turned back to his team after sniffing the air. His nose wasn't nearly as good as Pakkun's, but it was good enough to tell if someone had been somewhere. And they hadn't been here. That meant that the other team might have found them. _I've got to make sure nothing happens._ "Let's go back"

"Yessir!" The four men under his command obeyed and started running downstream. This time they all went faster than when they were going up since they weren't searching anymore, and they reached the bridge in just a half hour.

"Hmmm, they're not back yet." He looked at his watch. "It's only six. Let's go see if we can find them, I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Yessir!"

_They're so obedient, that's annoying._ He sighed under his ANBU mask and decided it was for the best, and they all dashed downstream toward their teammates.

Kakashi soon smelled something all too familiar. His least favorite scent of all: blood. Lots of blood. _This can't be good._ They continued downstream and quickly saw a large city a short distance away. Not only did they see a city, but they felt an enormous chakra. And along with that chakra, there was an equally enormous killer intent.

_This is bad!_ Kakashi immediately toggled a switch on his mask, opening the left eye cover so he could use his Sharingan. _Very bad!_ "Everyone be careful. You all know what that feeling is."

They hurried to the village gates. To a normal person, the sight in front of them would be most gruesome. There were a few bloody lumps on the ground, which were presumably the corpses of their fallen teammates. Standing in the middle of the corpses was a single blonde boy with his back turned toward them, his hands covered in blood.

Kakashi looked at the piles of gore that had used to be his team. "Naruto..."

The boy turned around and looked him dead in the eye. "Kakashi. Your team underestimated me." His blue eyes seemed to be empty, but he could still tell what the boy was feeling. He could see the pain in his eyes. Kakashi hadn't seen the loud boy like this before. The warm look in his eyes that he was so used to wasn't there. Even in the toughest situations, Naruto had always had that warm light, but not now.

_This means that he knows what he's done. That's good._ "I see that. I presume you wouldn't use that power against me, would you?" Kakashi was hoping to get through to the boy, but he knew that if worst came to worst, he would have to fight, but he himself didn't know how powerful Naruto was, with or without the demon.

Naruto turned away. "No, I wouldn't..."

The four remaining ANBU watched with confusion. Wasn't Kakashi supposed to kill him?

"Kakashi. Leave me, this is my path. You have your own."

"So, you're really doing all this for revenge?" Kakashi took off his mask, revealing his everyday black mask under it, still covering his mouth. "Sasuke said practically the same thing to me three years ago."

"I don't know..." He said, surprising Kakashi a little. "But you won't stop me when I do make up my mind."

Kakashi's eyes seemed sad, the situation was all too familiar. But this time his student had more hope. Somehow there seemed to be something causing him to doubt the path he had chosen. Kakashi had a small hunch as to what, or rather who, it was.

_Naruto, I won't make the same mistake with you._

"We're leaving." Kakashi told his squad. "Unless of course, you all want to end up like them."

Any doubts of the silver-haired Jounin's orders were quickly erased as they looked at their fallen comrades.

Naruto stared at his old teacher. "Kakashi... tell her dad that she's okay. I'll take care of her."

He turned his head halfway around at Naruto, staring straight at him with the red eye.

"Naruto... he never asked." With that, he and his team dashed away again, leaving a numb Naruto behind them.

_He... doesn't care?_

* * *

Hinata had been able to find a simple coat in one of the stores. It wasn't too expensive, so she bought it. As she was walking back to the hotel, she wondered how they would get by. runaway ninjas usually had to accept some dishonorable jobs to make a living. She hoped Naruto would have that worked out. But knowing him, he didn't.

She decided to change into some pajamas that she had gotten for cheap. She wanted to enjoy sleeping in a real bed, since it might be the last time in a while, and you just can't do that in ninja clothes. Besides that, she hadn't changed in over a day and didn't want to smell bad. She was pleasantly surprised that their cheap room also had a decent shower, so she decided to bathe quickly before changing.

After she was done changing into her sleeping clothes, she looked out the window. It was dark now, and Naruto was late. "Where are you, Naruto-kun?"

* * *

Naruto was walking away from the scene he had made, not allowing himself to look at the destruction he had caused. He had killed before, but never like that. He had never enjoyed the death of his enemies before, and he hoped he never would again. He wasn't some barbarian who just wanted to kill, he was Naruto. He was the future Hokage... wasn't he?

His head was overflowing with emotions. Hate... fear... anger... sorrow...

Hate for the man he had killed, and for the Hokage who had paid that man to kill Tsunade.

Fear of himself, of the creature who had just slaughtered four men in cold blood.

Anger at Hiashi, who didn't care if his own daughter was alive or dead.

Sorrow for Hinata, who suddenly seemed very alone in the world, just like him.

_Hinata... I'll make things right again._

* * *

**-End of Chapter 3-**

**Revised on 9/4/2011. Man, I was guilty of lots of over-use of Japanese and some Naruto-worship. Sorry guys!  
**


	4. Back to the Basics

**Re-reading this chapter makes me regret how weak I made Hinata in the beginning... but don't worry, that changes soon enough.  
**

**-Back to the Basics-**

In the hidden Village of Konoha, there are several ninja ranks:

Academy student: They're not actually ninjas, but still learning the basics of ninja art. In the academy is where you learn what you specialize in, such as Taijutsu, Ninjutsu or Genjutsu

Genin: The lowest Ninja rank. You become a Genin after graduating from the academy. Genin are put into teams, usually teams of three, and sent on missions with a Jounin teacher. The missions that Genin are sent on are almost always tedious jobs, and never include any real fighting. It is very rare for a Genin team to be given anything over a C-rank mission, but it is possible for any mission to become higher rank under certain circumstances.

Chuunin: Middle ninja rank. Chuunin are leaders. A Chuunin can lead a team of Jounin in a mission if circumstances call for it, as that is the Chuunin's main role in the ninja world. Chuunins need to be quick thinkers, and have a knowledge of many ninja arts. The most important tool of a Chuunin is his brain, as demonstrated by Nara Shikamaru.

Jounin: Top ninja rank. To become a Jounin, you can be either Genin or Chuunin. They look for extremely talented exceptional ninjas to become Jounin. It is extremely rare for a Genin to skip Chuunin, but it has happened. Jounins are sent on A-class missions. They must be extremely skilled and powerful. They work hard and study constantly to always stay on top of any opposition.

Hunter-Nin: A class of Special Jounin. They have only one purpose. That is to search out and kill or capture missing-nins. They are experts in stealth assassination and study the human body thoroughly.

ANBU: Elite ninja. The crème of the crop. There is only one way to become ANBU, you must be invited into the order, and the member who invited you must have several witnesses to his invitation. ANBU are the Hokage's personal guards, they are also usually the ones who go on S-rank missions and guard the village, while Jounins have been known to do so as well. Within the ANBU there are several special divisions: Combat, strategy, stealth, power, and speed. While all members must be very skilled in each field, they will always specialize in one.

There is another division of ANBU that have the sole purpose of disposing of a ninja's corpse. That was what Kakashi needed right now, because four corpses lay near the entrance to a very large city.

"Kuchiose no jutsu!" He bit his thumb, formed some seals and slammed his palm into the ground.

A cloud of smoke arose, and when it cleared, there was a heavy dog sitting obediently.

"What do you need, Kakashi-dono?"

"Chisoku, please take this to the Hokage" He handed the dog a scroll. "Top priority."

"Okay!" The dog ran off at a speed most people would think impossible for the dog's size.

"Kakashi, which one was that?" One of the ANBU asked.

"That was my fastest runner, he should reach Konoha within a half hour. The scroll is a status report and a request for a cleanup team."

The four ANBU looked down the path the dog had disappeared down. Half an hour, that was a hell of a lot faster than they could run, but it still didn't seem fast enough.

"Okay, let's set up camp. I'll scout the area while you unpack and set up the tents here." He jumped off the branch before they could respond, their absolute obedience was annoying and he didn't want to listen to it.

Kakashi's job was to make sure that the area around them, in a one-mile diameter, was free of any dangerous elements. Wild animals and such were quite troublesome and annoying to deal with. He heard some rustling and voices from the east.

"We're almost there. Just a bit further."

_I know that voice._ Kakashi frowned under his mask. _They must be going to the city._

"Sakura!" He called to the group of people he heard coming from that direction and pulled off his mask.

"Kakashi-sensei! What are you doing here?" She smiled, but suddenly remembered what Kakashi's job was. "Have you found Naruto?" She asked hopefully.

He shook his head. It was a lie.

"Oh..." She sighed. "Well, good luck!"

"Wait, Sakura."

"Hmm?"

"Use the south entrance, the main eastern gate is closed tonight."

"Oh, okay." She shrugged. "Thanks."

He watched them dash off to the southwest. _That was close._

* * *

Naruto walked into the hotel room he was sharing with Hinata, expecting her to still be out shopping.

"Naruto-kun!" she looked away from the window and smiled at him.

"Oi, Hinata." He mumbled. "Bad news."

"Hmm?"

"We were followed. I took care of it though."

She was saddened that he had to fight people from his own village, it must've been hard. "At least we're safe now." She smiled warmly at him. "There's a shower over there."

He looked at the door to the bathroom. "Okay."

Hinata watched as he pulled a change of clothes from his pack and sighed. _Why is he being so quiet again? _She decided not to worry about it, he was probably having a hard time because he had to fight people from Konoha. He just needed some peace and quiet.

He took a quick shower and changed into his fresh black pants, with one orange stripe running down the side of each leg, and black tee shirt. After a minute he stepped back into the room feeling much better than when he had arrived.

"Ahhh, that feels better." He said through the towel he was drying his face and hair with. When he finished, his hair was even messier than normal, and it hung down over his forehead, without his headband to hold it up.

Hinata giggled at his unruly hair. She had never once seen it neatly combed. Not even at the funeral of Third Hokage. "Why do you always keep your hair so messy?" She was quickly becoming more comfortable talking to him, but nothing more than talking. Any physical contact still sent her into a stuttering, blushing trance.

He seemed to think for a minute, like the idea had never occurred to him. "Why wouldn't I? Is something wrong with it?"

"No." She smiled at him. "I was just wondering."

"Hehe, it's a real pain even cutting it, I don't know how many barbers hate me because of it. I've cost them lots of money in ruined scissors." He exaggerated, but only a tiny bit.

She was glad he was acting more like himself again. It was hard for her to see him sad, like he had been the previous night.

"Okay, we should probably be getting to sleep." He stretched and yawned. "We're getting up early and moving on to another village. This city's too big, drives me crazy."

"Okay..." She seemed curious. "Where are we going?" Every time she said or heard the word 'we' she had a warm feeling. She almost couldn't believe she was going to be spending so much time with him. Even if the circumstances were so dark.

"Probably going to Sand, the new Kazekage's an old friend of mine."

"But Sand would turn us in, wouldn't they? They're allied with Konoha."

"Well if they try, we just run for it! It's easy."

She shook her head, but couldn't bring herself to disagree. It might work. "Okay..." She said, climbing into her bed. She decided then to say something she'd always dreamed of saying. "Good night, Naruto-kun."

"Night, Hinata-chan." Naruto added a friendly suffix to her name.

Hinata just barely believed what she heard. Had he called her 'Hinata-chan' just then? She couldn't help but smile, after all, getting closer to him was something she'd always wanted, even if it was just a tiny thing. She quickly drifted off to sleep.

Naruto on the other hand, couldn't sleep. Kyuubi's nightmares kept him awake. He really didn't have anything to do, normally he would go find somewhere to train, but they were in a city and he would have to go far away to keep from waking anyone up.

_Well, I don't have anything better to do, it doesn't matter how far I go. _He stood up to go train, but saw the girl asleep on the bed across the room. _But I don't want to leave her alone... _He realized what he had just told himself._ Dammit, Naruto. You shouldn't be thinking like that. _

**She cares about you as much as everyone else in your village: not at all. **Kyuubi let out a sinister laugh, taunting his vessel.

_Shut up, demon! I don't need your input here. _He sighed. If he slept, he would surely get more nightmares. If he went to train then he would be leaving her alone, which for some reason he didn't want to do, but while he knew that the Kyuubi's words were a lie, they were still uncomfortable.

So he had just one choice left: Think.

He got back into bed and rolled over to face her. _Why did you even come with me anyway? You can't really love me, even if you don't know my secrets. _He sighed in frustration. _But she's probably the only person who always treated me nicely... maybe there's really something there... _

He watched her sleep for a few more minutes. _Maybe someone does care about me... _He thought, not realizing that there several more people who cared about him._  
_

* * *

Sakura's team finally reached the city after taking the detour Kakashi had told them about. It was almost dark, and they needed to get the medicine tonight so they could leave first thing in the morning.

They went to the hospital they would be picking it up from, which was very different than the one in Konoha. The walls were much whiter, and there were tiled floors everywhere. Everything was spotlessly clean, sterilized by chemicals routinely. Bright lights were placed every few feet on the ceiling, providing illumination in what would normally be the darkest corners. And it was cold, very cold.

They walked into a room that was designated 'waiting room' by the sign hanging on the door.

"Can I help you?" A nurse asked politely.

"Yeah, we're from Konoha, Shizune-sama sent us for some medical supplies."

"I'm sorry, I wouldn't know anything about that. I'll get one of the doctors." The nurse said sweetly and walked into a back room.

"Sakura, I don't like it here." Ino whispered. "I've always hated other city hospitals, they're so... sterile... cold..."

"I know what you mean, Shizune-sama and I have to visit them sometimes, so we're used to it. But you'd be amazed at some of the machines they have. They do all sorts of things."

"I like healing jutsus, thanks." Ino said with a wave of her hand.

"Yeah, me too."

"So, where are we meeting Lee?" Ino asked.

"Outside the hospital's main entrance, he went to get us rooms at a hotel."

"Thoughtful of him."

Sakura smiled. "He's always thoughtful. That's just who he is."

"I don't know how you can be near him, Sakura." Ino shook her head in exasperation. "He would drive me insane."

"It's just something you get used to... where's that doctor?" She sighed. "Okay, time to go find someone ourselves, it's the only real way to get anything done in these civilian cities."

The girls left the waiting room and searched the rest of the hospital, eventually finding someone who was able to help, after searching for more than an hour.

* * *

"Hello, Sakura-san! Ino-san!" The Gai-sensei look-alike (But a little shorter) greeted them energetically.

"Hi, Lee." Sakura smiled sweetly. "Did you get us some rooms?" She asked. But she knew the answer already.

"Yes!" He gave his 'Nice-Guy' pose, his teeth shining brightly even in the dim light.

"Thanks, Lee!" Ino chanted. "That makes things lots easier."

He nodded proudly. "Alright, let's go!"

They walked into an average-size hotel and started walking to their rooms when Lee suddenly remembered something.

"The clerk told me that other Konoha Ninjas are staying here tonight."

"Really?" Ino questioned. "I haven't heard anything about any missions out here."

"That's what the clerk told me." Lee said with the utmost confidence, as though he was absolutely positive and had complete faith in the honesty of the hotel clerk. "Maybe it was Kakashi-san's team?"

"That makes sense I guess." Sakura shrugged and stopped at a door. "Okay, this is where me and Ino are sleeping." She said and turned the key in the door handle. "See you tomorrow, Lee."

"Good night, Sakura. I await the moment I am able to see your shining face again..." He kept on going like this for a few minutes, earning annoyed looks from Ino and Sakura.

"Okay, good night Lee-kun." Sakura said quickly before ducking into the room.

* * *

Naruto was up all night, thoughts of the dreams he would surely have had kept him awake.

_Maybe Gaara can help, he has a similar problem._ He thought to himself as he stared at the ceiling. _I wonder how Sand will react, even with Gaara as Kazekage. Will he even trust me? We aren't exactly buddies... I don't know where else I could go if Sand doesn't work out, I wouldn't mind staying in the wilderness on my own, but I'm with Hinata..._ He started thinking about Hinata again.

_But how strong is she?_

He remembered watching her fight Neji, the time that Lee had told him something he never would have expected to hear.

Naruto, she is very similar to you.

_I guess he was right. _Naruto thought with an ironic smile. _She's like me, but is she strong enough to handle the trip?_ He was a little worried about her, and hoped she would be okay.

He heard her moan softly from the other bed, a big smile on her face.

_At least she's able to dream happily._ He smiled at her, but he didn't know he was smiling. _I'm glad one of us is able to sleep._

"Mmmmm, Naruto-kun..." She said in a dreamy voice. "Thank you..."

He stared at her sleeping form in shock. _Is she really dreaming about me? _Suddenly, that little voice that was constantly whispering in his ears all day long seemed to be shouting 'Idiot! She DOES love you!'

_Hinata-chan..._

___!****__**BEEP!**__** BEEP!**__** BEEP!**_  


"GAH!" He nearly jumped out of his skin. His tender moment was interrupted by the alarm clock.

_Dammit, why do those things have to be so loud?_

_****__!****__**BEEP!**__** BEEP!**__** BEEP!**_  


Hinata stretched in her bed. "Good morning, Naruto-kun."

"Morning." He grumbled, glaring at the alarm.

_****__!****__**BEEP!**__** BEEP!**__** BEEP!**_  


Hinata looked over at him and giggled softly at the sight. He was sitting up in his bed, glaring at the alarm clock with a hateful look, and the alarm just happened to be next to her bed.

"Could ya turn it off?"

_!**BEE-**_

"Thanks." He stretched and yawned, somewhat tired from a night without sleep. "We should get going soon, we'll be spending at least one more night in the wilderness. Then we'll be going through one of the minor countries by tomorrow. But the ninjas there aren't too friendly with Konoha, runaway or otherwise. But luckily, I do know one person who can get us past Rain Village safely."

"Rain Village!" Hidden Rain has almost always been Konoha's enemy, ever since it was formed. "How do you know someone there?"

"When I was traveling with Jiraiya we stopped in every hidden village." He smiled proudly. "Well, let's go." He said, slipping on his jacket.

"Umm, I need to change first."

"Hmm?" He looked at her, just noticing she was wearing pajamas. They showed her curves better than her ninja outfit did, in a big way. _Since when does she look like that!_

_Why is he looking at me like that?_ "Umm... N-Naruto-kun?"

"OH! Sorry, ehehehe." He started scratching the back of his head. "I just... umm..." He felt his heart thumping in his chest. _Damn... I'm NOT like Jiraiya... okay, maybe just a little.  
_

Hinata's face warmed up a little. "Okay... I'll go change in the bathroom..."

"Okay..."

They left the hotel as soon as she was ready, which took longer than he had hoped for. Eventually they were walking out the main gates.

_The bodies are gone. _He remembered the way he had killed the men. _I feel sorry for the clean up team._

"Hey, Hinata."

"Hmm?"

"How about we start training as soon as we get to the forest?" He suggested with a smile.

"Umm... okay..." Her head drooped a little, remembering what he had said about how she needed to train in the basics. _If I'm so weak that I don't know the basics, why does he even allow me to come?_

He noticed the look on her face. "Don't worry, you'll do fine. I'm sure you will."

"Thanks... Naruto-kun..." She smiled just a little at him, feeling consoled but still a little down.

A few more minutes went with some casual conversation. They were starting to talk to each other more. Eventually they reached the edge of the forest, just twenty miles away from the border between Fire country and Rain Country.

"Okay, time to see how good your chakra control is."

"What do I have to do?"

"Climb trees of course!"

"Climb... trees?" She couldn't believe her ears..

"Mm-hmm." He nodded. "Like this." He put the necessary amount of chakra on the bottom of his feet, walked up the trunk of a large tree and hung upside-down from a branch.

Hinata watched him as he walked up the tree. She had seen many other ninjas do it before and it seemed simple enough. "Okay, so I use chakra under my feet to do it?" She tried to get a good look at the book he was holding, but he walked up a different tree and sat on a branch too far away for her to see without using her Byakugan. So she focused her chakra under her feet and started running at the tree.

_So she's already decided to try a running start. Interesting..._ He watched her run at the tree then take one step onto it and launch backward, landing on her back and rolling once. _But she's got a long way to go. _He looked back into his book, titled 'Rookies'.

It was a comedy about several Jounins' experiences with their rookie Genin teams, and was quite thick. Apparently, some crazy ninja had the idea to gather a bunch of goofy stories about Genin while they trained under their Jounin instructors, and had sent word to each Kage, and three of the five Kage's had thought it was a good idea. Any villages without a Kage had found out by word-of-mouth. Eventually, the author had hundreds of short stories about the poor rookie ninjas and their antics, and had his friends help him sort out the lame ones from the good ones and put the book together.

He had already found a story about himself from the days of team seven, and he'd only had the book for one day. He had bought it in the store in the city when they were getting supplies. He knew he would have lots of time to himself when she was training, and wanted something to distract himself with instead of being tormented by the Kyuubi or thinking about revenge.

An hour passed. She had made it about halfway up the tallest tree and was gradually getting higher. Every once in a while Naruto would have to turn away as she fell and was unable to catch herself. He knew from training with Jiraiya that she had to do this herself. As painful as it may, he couldn't help her. _Sorry, Hinata._ _It's for the best._

The rest of day passed slowly, she kept climbing higher and higher until she was able to reach the top. He was amazed that she was able to last so long. It rivaled his own progress when he had done the exercise for the first time, and she had actually done it faster. But he had lasted several more hours before finally doing it. "Good job, Hinata!" He called up to her from the ground. She was at the top of the tallest tree they could find.

His shout startled her, and she lost control and fell off.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the pain that she would certainly feel when she hit the ground. It never came though, and she found herself flying through the air in the other direction. She opened her eyes again and saw what had happened.

"N-Naruto-kun!" She blushed, he had caught her! _He's holding me! What do I do now! Did I fail? Is he angry?_

He jumped down to the ground again and let her down. "Good job, Hinata."

She looked up at him and saw the proud look in his eyes._ I made him happy?_ "Thank you, Naruto-kun..."

He looked at his watch. 7:53 pm. "I think you passed that test, you'll get a new one tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, you're probably real low on chakra right now, I'm impressed you were able to last so long."

Her eyes widened a little. Not only was he proud of her, but he was amazed by her. That, combined with her low chakra, made her faint.

"Great... Well, you finished it in just one day. I'm really impressed."

She barely heard his words, lost in a state of semi-consciousness. _I'm glad I was able to make you happy, Naruto-kun._ And with that she fell completely unconscious.

****

She woke up later and the first thing she noticed was a familiar scent, the faint smell of ramen, mixed with a few others. She knew what that smell was.

_Naruto-kun... _Wherever she was, it was warm and had his smell all over. She finally opened her eyes and found herself wrapped in an orange sleeping bag. It was his bag, and quickly checked to see if he was in it with her. To her half-disappointment and half-relief, he wasn't. "Naruto-kun?"

"Oi, Hinata-chan" She heard him say her name that way again, making her face flush red just a little bit as a smile spread across her face. "Good to see you're awake."

She took in her surroundings. She was wrapped in his sleeping bag, in his tent again. The tent flaps were left open so he could check on her every few minutes and she could see him poking a fire outside. It was dark out, and they were in a dense forest. Probably a good distance from where she had been training, based on the amount of plant life.

_Did he carry me?_ She blushed at the thought. _And I'm in his sleeping bag! _More blushing. _And he never bought a second tent! We're still going to sleep in the same tent!_ She tried to sort out everything. _So... he carried me, and put me in his sleeping bag? _She almost wanted to squeal in delight, but held it back.

"It's pretty late, I decided to stay up until I was sure you were okay though." It was actually half-true. The other half was the nightmares that he would avoid for as long as he could, but he knew he would need sleep soon or he's wind up looking like Gaara.

"Thanks... but you didn't have to." She felt like she was floating. _He cares about me!_

"That's okay."

"You should go to sleep now, Naruto-kun."

"Yeah... I guess so." He decided it was for the best, and used a weak water jutsu to put out the fire. She reluctantly forced herself out of his sleeping bag and pulled her own from her pack, by the time she had found it, he had already finished putting out the fire and had lit the torchlight that every ninja carried with them. She turned around to see him setting up his bag on one side of the tent.

They would be sleeping practically next to each. She blushed at that thought and set up her sleeping bag next to his. "Good night, Naruto-kun."

"Night, Hinata-chan."

They soon both found sleep. Hinata slept easily, dreaming of the same thing she did every night. He fell asleep rather quickly just because he hadn't had any in a while.

**-Dream Sequence-**

Naruto watched the men carefully, waiting for the moment to strike. _I'll kill him!_

All four men stopped running when they felt the murderous intent, and Pakkun poofed away. Naruto chose that moment to attack. It didn't matter if they sensed him or not, he just wanted get that man.

He dashed forward at the assassin. The fastest of the ANBU tried to stop him, but quickly realized that he wasn't up against an ordinary kid. His arms were both missing, and the blonde boy's fingers were bloody.

Before he could scream, Naruto turned around to finish the job. He jumped at the armless man and slashed again with his claws, tearing off part of his upper torso and allowing him to bleed to death.

"Damn!" One of the other ANBU started forming hand seals, but quickly found a powerful sphere of chakra forced into his stomach. He was blown back, but still alive. His armor had protected him. He finished the seals he had started a moment ago and slammed his hands onto the ground. "Rock Spear!"

Several stone spikes started shooting up at Naruto, who dodged the first one and jumped into the air. Another spire shot up at him, which was blown apart by another Rasengan.

While he was busy with the earthen spikes, the other two ANBU prepared for battle, but neither of them thought they would be needed, the kid was a Genin after all.

One of them unsheathed a full-length katana, while the secret assassin pulled out two shorter swords, holding each one with the blade backwards. One sword was held in front of his body in a defensive position and the other one held behind, ready to make strong slashes when he saw an opening. This was probably one of the more original Kenjutsu stances, and the other members of his team had never seen it before he joined the ANBU.

The man that was controlling the spires decided to give it one big finale, he was growing tired of having all his attacks dodged. The second the boy landed on the ground, four giant spikes arose from the earth, effectively trapping him in the middle. Then eight smaller ones shot up around those, re-enforcing the prison made by the first four.

The ninja formed a few more seals. "Earth Cannon".

A giant artillery gun formed out of the ground fired a large stone at the rock cage. It collided with so much force that the rocks shattered, supposedly skewering anything inside it.

"That did the trick." The earth-user smiled under his mask, then felt a familiar presense. "What the!"

The dust was blown away by the enormous red chakra. The boy was radiating with a killer intent more devastating than the man had ever felt. Well, he actually had felt it once before, the night the Kyuubi attacked.

Naruto's body was covered in the demonic power, with one chakra 'tail' waving slowly behind him. His head was also enveloped in chakra, with two 'ears' extending from the top. His hands were wrapped in the energy as well, and he had five chakra claws, four inches long on each hand. The three remaining ANBU decided that this was not the person you would want to meet in a dark alley.

Naruto was tired of the pointless dodging and weaving, so he decided to just finish it before they went to prove why they were ANBU. He flung his right arm toward the assassin, grabbing him with the red chakra and pulling him closer. The man's arms were pinned to his front and back, making his two swords useless. He was quickly within a foot of the boy, who even more quickly thrashed at his head, shredding it with the claws of the demon fox.

The two others watched as their teammate was shredded to tiny pieces, starting with the head. When the boy was done, they both decided to get the hell out of there.

They never made it, and both suffered fates similar to their teammates'.

Naruto stood in the middle of the mess he had made and tried to regain control. Eventually, his demonic power receded and he looked at the scene he had created. Horror spread across his face as he realized exactly what he had done. He had murdered four people, in cold blood.

Suddenly, he was standing in a dark room.

**You enjoyed that, didn't you?** The Kyuubi loked down from his cage with a sinister smile. **You wanted to slaughter them, so you did.**

Naruto stared at the Kyuubi. "Why are you doing this?"

**I just wanted to remind you of your mission. Remember, you still have to kill a few more people.**

"Naruto-kun..." a soft voice filled the room. Both Naruto and Kyuubi heard it.

_**That girl keeps interfering... **_

"Naruto-kun... please wake up..."

Naruto grinned at the all-powerful demon. "Looks like I'm wanted elsewhere."

**-End Dream-**

**_That girl is getting in my way..._** **_I need to fix that._**

* * *

**-End of Chapter 4-**


	5. Determination

**-Determination-**

"Naruto-kun... please wake up." Hinata shook him gently, worried because of his constant shifting.

"Thanks." he smiled a little and sat up next to her. "What time is it?"

Ever since he found out that she dreams about him at night, he felt a little different around her. It was hard for him to watch her train yesterday, knowing he couldn't help her. Every time she would fall, his annoying voice would scream at him to catch her. But he never did, he knew better than that.

"It's almost five." she said through a yawn, stretching her arms. "What are we doing today?"

"We're going through Rain country, it's a minor country with no Kage, but Hidden Rain village has some particularly strong shinobi. I have a friend who can help us sneak through, but you probably won't get a chance to try the next exercise for a while."

"Oh, okay." Normally, she wouldn't particularly care about missing training. But she had impressed him the last time and wanted to do so again, but it could wait. "Naruto-kun?" She had been wondering about something for a while now. Why hadn't he said anything about their pursuers?

"What is it?"

"Who did you fight a few days ago?"

That was not what he was expecting, but he decided to answer truthfully. "A team of ANBU, lead by Kakashi."

"Kakashi!" Why would they send someone like him just to find us! "What happened?"

He wasn't looking forward to telling her the story, but decided to anyway. Just not the whole story. "I only had to fight half of his men. He was off somewhere else with the other half. I had already finished the four that had found me before Kakashi showed up."

"Four!" That was a full team of ANBU. She knew she must've heard wrong or something.

"Yeah, he brought two teams."

"You beat four ANBU?"

"Yeah. They underestimated me. Sometimes it helps to be a Genin."

She knew that if Konoha had really sent eight ANBU then there was definitely something she didn't know. And it was probably something important, but she decided not to ask. He would tell her in his own time.

"Well... it's still early..." He sighed. "So... let's just talk or something."

She visibly brightened, apparently happy that he wanted to talk to her. She had lots of questions she wanted to ask, so she started shooting away.

"When we left, you said that the old Naruto was just a fake."

"Yeah..." He watched her suspiciously, wondering where this was going.

"So, the way you've been acting these past few days... is this what you're really like?"

He blinked once, he hadn't really used anything to hide himself. He just acted natural. "Yeah, I guess this is the real me. Not what you expected is it?"

"No..." She shook her head. Then she smiled and blushed a little, surprising him. "I think I like this Naruto-kun better anyway. You're even kinder now, and a little quieter."

Eventually, they had packed up and left again toward Wind Country, where they would find Hidden Sand. After they pass through Rain, it would be a little less than a day's walk to get there.

But Rain Country is not easy to get through, and they had one more dilemma.

* * *

"Damn it, nobody home." Naruto had been knocking loudly on the door of a house set in the middle of nowhere. "Okay, what now..." He thought for a minute, then a smile spread across his face. "Alright Hinata, looks like you can train today after all."

"Really?"

"Yeah, we'll stay here till Genka-sensei gets home. Nobody will find us here."

"You called him 'sensei'?" She was confused, he hadn't even been calling Kakashi his sensei since they left.

"Well, Genka-sensei's like us, a runaway ninja. Why else do you think someone would lead some Konoha kids through Rain territory?"

"oh..." She was a little unsure of the situation, but if Naruto-kun trusted him, then it would all be fine. "So what am I going to do today?"

"Well, first we need to make sure you can walk up a tree without too much trouble, just to make sure." He told her.

She walked up a tree and hung from a branch.

"Show-off." He smiled at her. She wasn't as shy now as she had been before. Neither of them knew it, but being around him for just a few days had been very good for her. "Okay, I think you've got the tree thing down, now let's see you walk on water."

"Already?"

"Yep, the real hard stuff comes after that. See if you can find a body of water big enough to practice in."

She jumped down from the branch and landed gently on the ground. He noticed her turning her head to look in other directions, apparently she could only see great distances in one direction. I wonder if that's the Byakugan's limit, or if she can practice and make it better... I guess I'll ask her later on.

"There's a stream over there. It's kind of far away, but it's the closest water around." she pointed in the direction of said stream.

"Okay, hang on." Naruto turned the knob, which he had been fiddling with for a few seconds to unlock, and stepped inside. He knew there wouldn't be any traps, and he walked in. "Let's drop our stuff here."

"Okay."

* * *

Kakashi's team had returned to Konoha, and he had been given the undesirable task of informing the families of the fallen members of what had happened. He had done it before, but only once. That was back when Obito had died. He had been able to get off the hook every other time.

He sighed, remembering his old friend. Obito was the one who had given him the Sharingan. But that was in the past, he had a job to do. He didn't look forward to it, but he had a job to do.

He went to the first man's home and informed his wife and seven-year-old daughter, then moved on to the next place.

The second man had a wife of three months. Fortunately, or maybe not fortunately, they were both friends of his. Well, as close to friends as Kakashi would let himself make. He still had trouble allowing himself to even develop friendships with people, as they all seemed to die as soon as he did.

Kakashi rarely took off his mask, but this was an exception. He removed his mask and smiled faintly. "You'll see him again someday" He was a firm believer that after life, you would see your loved ones again in the next life. Usually people who have had so many important people die like to think that way.

The poor woman's crying subsided a little bit.

"He is a good Shinobi. While he may not be recorded on the memorial stone, there will always be those who will remember him."

She nodded, a determined look on her face. "Thank you... Kakashi-san."

He replaced his two masks and left, nothing more could be said. You will continue to live, as we all do. Blessings can be hiding in any situation, you just have to make the best of it. And someday... Someday, everything will be made right again.

Those were the only families he had to inform. One of them didn't have any living family, so Kakashi visited their graves for a few moments. Death was something he took very seriously.

The last one didn't have any recorded family, he thought it was odd but the Hokage told him not to worry about it. Now he was left with nothing to do for the rest of the day, normally he would whip out one of his IchaIcha books, but recent events had left him in a more solemn mood, he couldn't truly enjoy the books like that.

He remembered what Naruto had said to him.

Tell her dad that she's okay, I'll take care of her.

Unbeknownst to the runaways, she no longer had a father. She had been officially disowned. But there was someone who would care, someone who would find much relief in her student's safety.

He went out in search of Kurenai, Hinata's former teacher. Eventually, he found her in - of all places - Ichiraku ramen.

"Kurenai."

She turned away from her bowl. "Kakashi? You're back already? What happened?"

"I lost half of my team. Naruto is just as interesting as always."

"Half your team!" Kurenai was stunned, how could a Genin kill four ANBU? And this was Naruto! "My, he really is interesting..."

"Yes, but that's not what I meant." He smiled under his mask. "Before we retreated, Naruto stopped me to tell me something, something about Hinata."

"What did he say?" her eyes showed her concern, Hinata was something of a little sister to Kurenai.

"He said she's alright, and that he will protect her."

With his good deed done for the day, he walked off and slipped one of his precious books from his pouch. Now he could enjoy it.

* * *

They arrived at the stream, it was about the size of the one Naruto had practiced on with Jiraiya, only a little deeper.

"Naruto-kun..."

"Hmm?"

"I just realized something..."

"What is it?"

"Uhhh" She started twiddling her fingers, for the first time in a while. A blush was quickly spreading across her face from the thoughts she was having. _I'll need to undress... at least a little._

"What is it?" he repeated.

"If my clothes get wet, I could catch hypothermia... it's a cold stream..." She blushed more.

"Oh..." He caught on now . "I hadn't planned for this..."

"My training clothes are in my backpack, they dry out fast enough..."

"Okay." So they started back to the cabin, which was still empty, Genka still wasn't home. After she had changed into the black training outfit she usually wore under her clothes, they headed back out.

Naruto noticed something about this outfit: It was similar to her pajamas in that it showed her body. It took a little self-control to keep his eyes in front of him. It wasn't too hard but he still couldn't help but think about it.

They got to the stream and he explained the exercise quickly, answered a few questions and climbed up into a nearby tree, book in hand. This time she had managed to get a good look at it, and thanked heaven that it wasn't a perverted book like his old teacher used to write. Still, little did she know, Naruto wasn't exactly a monk. He did indeed have a perverted side.

This was one of those occasions. She fell into the water and was completely soaked. She didn't see him watching her, she was trying to make him proud again and was too focused on the task at hand.

He, however was no longer paying any attention to his book. It wasn't as entertaining as Hinata in clingy, wet clothes in any way whatsoever. The day passed very quickly for him. She hadn't managed to master it and was perpetually soaked until he decided to call it a day.

"Alright, Hinata-chan. You'll run out of chakra soon so let's head back. Genka might be home now."

She looked up at him and frowned. "I'm fine, Naruto-kun."

He shook his head. "No, we're going." he started walking away and she decided it was best to follow him.

"Naruto-kun... I'm sorry."

He looked surprised. "What are you sorry about? You did fine."

"How long did it take you to do it?"

He stumbled a little, it had taken him less than a day. "It took me a day..."_ Crap, gotta think of something smart before she gets all sad..._ AHA! "But it took almost a week for me to finish the tree-climbing exercise."

She seemed to feel a little better.

"Hinata, I'm sure you'll get it soon." He told her reassuringly.

"Okay..."

They arrived at the cabin, which was still unoccupied. After a quick examination of the place, they found one couch in the living room, a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, food storage and a few other rooms you would expect in a single-occupant home in the middle of nowhere.

"Hinata-chan, you can sleep on the couch." He said as he unrolled his sleeping bag on the floor.

"No, that's okay..." She didn't want to sleep on the couch and force him onto the floor, she didn't plan to be sleeping that night anyway.

"Well, if you sleep on the floor, then the couch is going to waste with nobody sleeping on it." He said, implying that he didn't want to sleep on the sofa anyway.

"Okay... Thanks..."

"No problem, now let's get some rest." He said as he slipped into the sleeping bag.

After an hour or so, she decided he was asleep and went back outside. She had to finish that exercise and get stronger, for her sake and for his. Somehow, she didn't expect him to be awake. But she didn't know he had been avoiding sleep these past few days so it's only natural to assume he was sleeping. Either way, he heard her get up and tiptoe out of the house, donning her sandals at the door.

_Great, where's she going? Might as well make sure she's safe._ After a minute, he slipped out of bed, put on his jacket and shoes and followed after her.

He saw her stop at the edge of the stream from earlier that day and realized her plan. _So she's going to keep training until she gets it. She really is like me._ He decided to just watch, this time actually paying attention to her progress instead of her body.

A few hours later, she was starting to run out of chakra again, and it was obvious. _One more try.._. She focused her chakra into her feet again.

At this point, she could stand on the water, sort of. Her feet would sit on top of the surface for a few seconds, then she would start sinking and over-calculate the amount to push her back up, which would throw it all off and make her fall over.

She stepped onto the water and looked at her feet. They were staying on top of the water. Suddenly, she felt an overwhelming feeling of success. It was as if a great mystery had been solved. She took a step forward, then backward, then spun around. "I did it!" She kept dancing around on the water, it was an exhilarating experience, much more satisfying than tree climbing. She was too caught up in her success to notice that she was completely exhausted, and her chakra was too low.

"Nice job, Hinata!"

"N-Naruto-kun!" She spun around to see him. "Naruto-kun, I did it!" she ran up to him and did something completely crazy, her tiredness and glee mixed together to make her do something she had never done before. She hugged him.

Naruto, being himself, was somewhat shocked at this. After a second though, he returned the hug. It lasted a while... and a little longer... a little longer... still longer... "Hinata-chan?"

Her exhaustion had overcome her and she fell completely asleep.

There was someone watching them, a woman with a slashed Rain headband. "So, looks like that kid's back. And he's got a new friend." She chuckled to herself and seemed to dissolve into the air. This will get interesting.

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"Hmm? Kiba, what is it?" Kakashi pulled his nose out of the book and looked at the boy glaring at him.

"Where are they?"

"Where are who?"

"Hinata and Naruto, that's who!"

"What about them?"

"GAH!" Kiba growled in frustration. It had been a stupid idea to try to get it out of Kakashi. Then he had an idea. Yeah... that might just work... _But the Hokage wouldn't let me do that in a million years_. He turned around, right now his only option was to drag it out of the silver-haired Jounin.

"Kakashi-sensei, please tell me."

He looked over the top of his book. "Oh, hi Kiba."

He did his best not to scream at the man. "Just tell me if she's okay."

He pulled the book away from his face again. "It was probably for the best, we all just need to trust them." Having said that, he dove back into his book and walked away.

"Does that mean she's okay?" He looked where Kakashi had walked off, he wasn't there anymore. _Damn Jounins, everything's all 'top secret' with them._

* * *

Naruto walked into the house, everything was still untouched. "Gah, nobody home..." He looked back down at the girl he was carrying, her clothes had dried but his were now completely soaked. He put her down on the couch and went into the bathroom to change. When he came back, she was still asleep.

_Damn... what am I gonna do now? I wasn't supposed to get attached._ He started pacing around the small room. Damn it, damn it, damn it. He started pulling on his hair, trying to figure out what he was supposed to do about it. _Maybe I should just make the best of it... No!_

"Naruto."

"Huh?" He looked at Hinata, who was still fast asleep.

"Not her, you retard! Over here."

"Oh, Genka-sensei. You're finally home."

"What are you doing in my house?" The woman who had watched them in the forest asked as she glared at him.

"I had a favor to ask, we need to get through Rain unnoticed and you're the best one for the job."

"Huh! What happened to your whining and yelling and all that annoying crap?"

He pointed to his forehead protector. "This happened."

Genka looked at the scratch across the leaf symbol and smiled. "Looks like you finally came to your senses. Who's your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend!" he growled

"Sure, I saw the way you look at her. Well who is she?"

"Hyuuga Hinata, she left with me a few days ago." he explained. "Don't ask me why, it's a long story."

"Is she pregnant?"

He fell on his face, then quickly jumped back up. "OF COURSE NOT! I'M NOT LIKE JIRAIYA!"

"Calm down, I was just making sure."

They heard a soft plop from the couch and looked to see Hinata asleep again, but severely red in the face. Apparently she had been awake to hear the 'is she pregnant?' comment and fainted again.

"So, she's a Hyuuga branch member? I'm assuming the seal doesn't work from far away or she'd be dead now."

He shook his head. "No, she was the heir to the head family before we left."

"Heir! They must be worried sick!"

He looked at the girl on the couch, still blushing in her sleep. "Kakashi said that her father doesn't even care if she's alive or dead. Knowing him, he's probably instated a new heir."

Genka shook her head slowly. "Sad story..."

"That's why I'm going to take care of her. I'll make sure that someday she'll be stronger than everyone else in that whole clan."

Genka turned to look at him, this was something she hadn't seen in the boy before. He's changed... I wonder what happened.

"So, will you take us? You know the terrain better than we do."

"And why do you need my help?"

"Because we don't want to be spotted, we're on our way to Sand. The Kazekage's an old friend of mine."

"He's your friend?" She shuddered. "Scary."

"Well, it comes with the territory." He pointed at his stomach. "We're a lot alike."

"Yeah, I guess so." She shrugged. Genka was one of the very few people outside of the Leaf village that knew Naruto's secret, but Gaara's isn't nearly as well-kept. "So, why is it so important to you that she gets stronger?"

"I don't know..." He shrugged. "She's a lot like me, and completely different at the same time."

"Whatever, go to sleep. We leave day after tomorrow, since it's almost morning already." She said as she walked out of the room.

"Right." Like I'm going to be able to sleep.

A few seconds later, Hinata decided to reveal her presense. She had been quietly listening, a skill that came naturally to her.

"He told you my father doesn't care?"

"You've been awake the whole time?" He asked, surprised and ashamed. "Sorry, Hinata. I didn't want you to hear that."

* * *

Somewhere else, a man in a dark cloak with red clouds scattered over it opened a letter.

"It seems Naruto-kun has run away from Konoha." He turned to his blue-skinned partner.

"This could make things easier for us, eh Itachi?" The shark-man smiled deviously. "What else does it say?"

"He's traveling with a Hyuuga and he killed four ANBU."

Kisame's eyes would've widened a little if they could. "He's getting stronger, that could be troublesome."

"It won't change anything."

* * *

-End of Chapter 5-  
**Revised on 9/4/2011! Man, Hinata is way too one-dimensional and needy in the earlier chapters, but she was kinda like that in the anime too. Still, I blame my 16-year-old self (My age when I wrote this) for the story. And I apologise to any feminists! At least she's not like that later!**


	6. Ten Months

**-Ten Months-**

* * *

They had spent the previous day resting for the trip through rain country. Genka had a few suspicions about the girl, but kept her questions to herself. She would have plenty of opportunities later on.

The Rain country got its name from the large amount of rainfall it has. Its mountain ranges are on the westernmost side of the country, which is where our unlikely team is now. The mountains cast a 'rain shadow' effect over the area, and it rains a lot on the eastern side, in the Rain country. However, because of the rain shadow, the Wind country gets very little water, and is mostly desert save a few oases.

They had managed to avoid being spotted by Rain Ninjas the entire trip, which is to be expected considering who they were traveling with.

Isame Genka is an expert in espionage, and can hide herself in almost any situation. She heavily specializes in Genjutsu. She left the hidden village of Rain about two years before, because she was fed up with the way it was run. She soon discovered that most ninja villages are run in similar ways, so she decided to leave the Shinobi world behind, while she still wears her slashed Rain headband.

It's a common misconception that runaway ninjas turned against their countries for the wrong reasons, and that they are all something to fear. But in reality, many of them are quite easy to get along with. Most of them are thieves or assassins, but some of them are like Genka and just try to stay out of everything.

Back to the mountains in Rain country. They aren't too steep in most areas, but in the certain area that this team just happened to be going through was the toughest part, most of it was completely vertical.

"Hey, Genka." Naruto glared at their guide.

"Yeah?"

"Why'd we go this way?"

"Because this is the least-traveled route to Wind country, you didn't want to be seen did you?"

That shut him up, it was a good enough reason. Under normal circumstances, Naruto would vote to just walk up the side with chakra, but there were two reasons they weren't:

One: Hinata was a little unsure of her ability with it, despite his encouragement.

Two: If someone spotted them walking up the mountain's sheer walls, they would immediately know they were ninja. And they didn't want that. Climbing like normal people gave the illusion that they were hikers or thrill-seekers.

One of Genka's specialties is illusion. And she always says that acting, a real illusion, is better than a chakra-created one.

She had attempted to teach Naruto Genjutsu, but he had absolutely no talent at it. So she just taught him a little stealth and a little strategy in his two-week stay there while he was traveling with Jiraiya.

"We're almost there, once we get to the top we can start running."

"Good, I hate walking." Naruto sighed.

"Me too." Genka agreed.

Hinata didn't mind walking, but she kept silent.

Eventually, they were finally at the top of the mountain and turned around to look over the Rain country.

"It's really green." Naruto pointed out.

"Lots of rain means lots of water for plant life." Genka explained. "It's one of the reasons I actually stayed in this country."

"Makes sense." He shrugged. "Okay, now this way." He turned around. "It's all sand."

"Yep, it never rains here." Genka told them.

"Why's it called Wind country?" Naruto asked. "I know Rain country's called that because it always rains."

"Why is Fire country called Fire country? Is it always on fire?" She countered sarcastically. "It's some thing that happened a really long time ago, back when the Great Shinobi Nations were first created. Each one was given one of the five elements as a name. It's got some symbolic meaning but I don't know what it is."

"I know." Hinata spoke up.

"Really?" Genka asked. She quite honestly didn't give a damn, and prayed that the girl wouldn't go into detail.

Hinata decided it was best not to explain it now. They were after all, trying to get somewhere. "Maybe later."

"Okay, that works." The woman smiled politely. _THANK GOD!_

* * *

Sand village is very well-guarded. It used to be that way to keep the village safe from its own weapon, but now that that weapon is the Kazekage, they just kept it that way out of habit.

One particular guard was posted in front of the main gates. It just wasn't his day, and it was about to get worse. He spotted a few people running toward the gates.

"Halt!" He held his hand up in a gesture to stop them, which it did. "What is your business in this village?"

One of the travelers, a woman about five and a half feet tall with brown shoulder-length hair and brown eyes, raised one of her hands and he fell asleep.

"That was handy." Naruto nudged the unconscious guard with his foot. "Sometimes I wish I could use Genjutsu like that."

"Well you suck so forget it." Genka thought back to the time she had taught him one basic Genjutsu, shuddering. "Just focus on Ninjutsu, that's your forte."

She then put up a Genjutsu that would make the guards not notice them. It didn't make them invisible, it just made them not seem out of place. In fact, it didn't alter their appearance in any way, but it affected the mind of others so they don't really notice them. And the best part is that the guard knocked out will wake up within a minute of being put to sleep, not remembering what happened, so nobody would notice anything suspicious. Genka really earned her Jounin rank, as well as her class-A wanted criminal rank. The only reason she wasn't class-S is because she isn't a thief or murderer.

"Yeah, well we've got a Kazekage to meet." Naruto started walking up the wall, he knew Hinata would be able to manage that one easily, which she did. "Now where would I be if I was Kazekage?" He started looking around.

"Over there, maybe?" Hinata pointed at the tallest building.

"Oh... I guess so."

* * *

The Kazekage, Gaara of the Sand, is not the friendliest of people. He didn't have the hair trigger he used to have, but he still wasn't very social. He was, in fact, still feared in the village despite his efforts to prove himself. Only his siblings and a few others know him well enough to not be afraid of him.

"Yo, Gaara." A voice came from behind him.

"Nobody calls me Gaara anymore." Came the emotionless reply. "Who are you?"

"Oh come on, you don't remember me?"

Gaara turned around to look at his visitor. Suddenly, he wasn't so emotionless anymore, as a look of shock spread across his face. He hadn't seen that person in almost three years, although he had heard rumors of him being in the village about a year and a half before.

Naruto turned around and waved a signal out the window. They were in the Kazekage's office, with a desk, a few chairs and windows, several bookcases, and papers and scrolls strewn across the desk, and that's about it. After he waved down, two more people hopped in through the window.

Gaara recognized one of them from the Chuunin exams in Konoha, those eyes are hard to forget. The other one looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place a finger.

Hinata smiled politely when she saw the man in the Kazekage's robes. "Hello, Kazekage-sa-" She stopped suddenly when he turned to her. Her eyes opened in shock, it was him. The gourd on his back, the word 'love' on his forehead. "G-Gaara of the Sand..."

She had some most unpleasant memories of this person. In fact, he was practically the monster in her nightmares. _This is the Kazekage? This is Naruto-kun's friend!_

"Uzumaki Naruto. I was not expecting you. Still, please sit." He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk for them to sit down.

Hinata saw some sand leak out of the guard. _Is he going to kill us!_ Carefully, she watched the flow of sand until it came to the door of the office, sealing it shut.

They sat down in the hard chairs and Gaara started the conversation.

"You're an S-class missing-nin from Konoha. And I assume this is Hyuuga Hinata, a B-class missing-nin. Why did you come here of all places?"

"S-class! No way..."

"Yes. Because of the way you killed the team chasing you. Hatake Kakashi gave a few details to the Hokage, and the clean-up team was most... impressed by the way you handled them."

"Yeah... Gaara, can we talk alone? I need to tell you something, something these two shouldn't know."

"Yes." He unsealed the door and two familiar figures walked in.

Temari noticed it first. "U-Uzumaki Naruto!"

Kankurou looked at the blonde boy. "W...What!"

"Temari, Kankurou, please take Naruto's... friends to a safe place."

Hinata was definitely not liking her situation. She didn't like the way he had said that. And she remembered those two as well, but they were better than Gaara at least. She looked at Naruto, who nodded reassuringly.

"Yes!" The two Sand-nins chanted in unison.

Kankurou stepped forward. "Please follow us."

After they had left and the door was sealed again, Gaara spoke up. "What do you need to talk about? I'm afraid that when we are done, I will be forced to bring you into Konoha custody. We are allied with Konoha after all."

"Gaara, you can't trust Konoha anymore. Don't ask me any questions, just be careful when you're dealing with them." Naruto leaned forward in his chair and gripped the edges of Gaara's desk.

Gaara didn't move a muscle. "Anything else?"

"Yeah." He nodded slowly. "You know how Shukakku is sealed inside you, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, Kyuubi's giving me a hard time lately. It won't let me sleep anymore, like Shukakku does to you."

Gaara was interested now. He hadn't known about the Kyuubi. "You're like me?"

"Yeah, how do you handle the sleepless nights?"

"I used to kill people... Now I just... think." Gaara's face showed a few unreadable emotions. "Sometimes I am able to sleep. I can sleep easily during a new moon, and without too much trouble when the moon is in its early waxing stages or late waning stages. You should find something that weakens its grasp on your mind, then you will sleep better at night."

"That's helpful... Any idea what might weaken it?" Gaara shook his head in response. "Well, I don't have much more to say. I was hoping we could stay here in Sand though."

Gaara shook his head. "No. We have to send you back to Konoha."

"Or you can try." Naruto said with a devious smile.

Gaara tried to mimic the smile. "Or we can try, indeed. If you have no more business then you can go join your friends, and please try not to kill any of my guards."

"Okay." Naruto stood up and started walking to the door.

"Uzumaki Naruto, I have one more question." Gaara said suddenly. "Which one is it?"

"Kyuubi."

Gaara's eyes widened a bit. With that, the door opened again and Kankurou stepped through it. Naruto followed Kankurou to the waiting room where the others were.

Gaara sat at his desk, thinking of his old battle with the blonde ninja. The boy, only twelve years old, had managed to summon the king of the frogs as his ally. The only person to ever defeat Gaara, had been the same as him all along. _You truly are interesting, Uzumaki Naruto._

* * *

The two females were wonderfully happy to be out of Sand village, but Naruto was trying now to think of what they should do. He had warned Gaara, which was his main reason for going there in the first place, but they weren't able to stay there. He couldn't think of anywhere else to go.

Fortunately, it was dark and the desert wasn't so hot. They ran across the sand, trying to get back to Genka's house as fast as possible. Eventually they arrived after an uneventful trip through the desert and forests.

By now, Genka had made up her mind. "Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"I've got good news for you. Very convenient news."

"Really?"

"Yep. I'll let Hinata stay with me. I'll teach her Genjutsu and I have a friend who can teach her Medical jutsu. She can stay here for a while and train with that while you go away somewhere."

_Naruto-kun... going away..._ Hinata didn't like that idea.

"How long?" Naruto asked, it sounded like a very good idea because he didn't know anything about Genjutsu, and Hinata could use everything she could get.

"Hmmm..." She started mumbling, thinking out loud. After a minute of thinking, she came to a conclusion. "Ten months."

_TEN MONTHS?_ Hinata DEFINITELY didn't like the idea.

**_Hmm... this could be good or bad for me... _**The Kyuubi was trying to figure out how to make this benefit him the most, but he kept his thoughts away from Naruto.

The boy thought for a minute. _I definitely couldn't teach her that stuff. And it couldn't hurt getting away from her for a while, I'll be able to straighten out these feelings I've been having lately. _"Sounds good."

_WHAT!_ _He didn't just say that. Please be a joke._

Naruto noticed the look on her face. "Hinata-chan, this is a great opportunity for you. I can't teach you any of the stuff she can, and I have things I have to do... alone."

"Yeah, Hinata." Genka smiled. "Okay, Naruto. You should leave right away, Konoha has probably heard from Sand about you by now. Even if you were able to convince the Kazekage to let us go, they still would alert your village. They'll be scrubbing the area for a while, but I can keep Hinata safe here. They wouldn't be as worried about finding a B-ranked as they would an S-ranked like you."

"Damn... I don't want to leave right away."

"Tough." She said sternly. "You don't have much choice."

After arguing a while, he finally decided to leave Hinata there, making Genka promise to keep her safe. Then he packed up and walked out the door.

"Naruto-kun! Please... please don't go to the Sound." She pleaded. "Go anywhere but there."

He turned around. "I'll try, but I'm not making any promises."

"Please, Naruto-kun... Don't go there yet, not by yourself."

He sighed. Her eyes seemed so sad, but she was being strong for his sake. "Okay... I won't go to Sound."

Genka seemed to remember something. "Naruto, go to Snow country, I have a friend there that you might be interested in. I'll let him know you're coming. You'll know him when you see him."

"Right." He turned around and walked away. Raising his right hand, he called over his shoulder. "Make me proud, Hinata."

_I will, Naruto-kun._

**-Month Two of training-**

Naruto's mood had dropped noticeably in the past few months. He wasn't as depressed as he was when he had left Konoha, but he was still in a bad mood.

It might have been partially be due to the fact that he was being trained to the bone, even worse than Jiraiya had done. Every day he would wake up at fife-thirty and don his training weights, which were now at two hundred pounds, then he'd run ten miles before actually starting his training.

His day of training consisted of learning a new Taijutsu stance as well as learning a few new Ninjutsu. His current instructor, Isame Ryoku, was Genka's younger brother. He would be allowed three meals a day, and after dinner he would have time to himself. That time to himself was usually spent training because he didn't have anything better to do. He would be so tired that he had to sleep at least one night every week, which wasn't fun considering the demon inside him.

Naruto had traveled to Snow country by way of ship. When he stepped onto the docks, he immediately realized why Genka had said that he'll know him when he sees him. The man was huge, and not even ten years older than Naruto. He had the same dark hair and brown eyes as genka, and was almost two meters tall. In the day, Ryoku is like a slave-driver, but after dinner he's much more tolerable.

"Say, Naruto. Have you ever been to Snow country before?"

"Nope."

"Okay... you're not much for keeping a conversation are ya?" He asked.

"I just have a lot on my mind."

"Right..." He sighed, this wasn't going anywhere. "You can go train some more."

"Right." Naruto obeyed and went to the dojo to work on some of the higher-level Ninjutsu he was working on perfecting.

_Genka said he used to be a loud, annoying brat. Something bad must've happened to him. I have a feeling that it's not good for him to be staying here..._ Ryoku had always followed his gut feelings before, but this time he couldn't. He had to train the boy. _I hope this doesn't come back to haunt me._

* * *

A similar routine was followed back in Rain country. Hinata would get up at five-thirty, eat and start her Genjutsu training. Then after lunch she would train in medical techniques with a woman named Shuuzen. After dinner, she would just practice in one or the other to perfect a technique she might be having trouble with. But today was different, Genka had called a 'girls night' in celebration of Hinata's birthday, which Hinata thought was utterly ridiculous but decided not to complain.

Genka's curiosity had been nibbling away at her for the past few months, but she had tried to be polite and leave it alone. Well, it had gotten the best of her now.

"Hey, Hinata."

"Yes?"

"Why exactly are you traveling with Naruto?"

"Oh? I've heard a little about him, who is he?" Syuuzen asked. These two women, when together, were like a bunch of teenagers. It sometimes drove Hinata up the wall, and sometimes made her feel very at home.

"He is... umm..." her face reddened a little.

"Well, I know he didn't get her pregnant, but that's about all I was able to get out of him." Genka laughed at Hinata's blush. "So please, what is he to you?"

"I... I..."

"Do you wuv 'im?" Shuuzen smiled widely, she enjoyed teasing her student.

"Y-yes..."

"What!" Genka almost fell out of her chair. "Really!"

"Yes..."

This was followed by a very long awkward silence.

"Please... let's talk about something else." Hinata said, twiddling her fingers shyly and blushing a deep red.

"Yeah. Let's watch a movie!" Genka smiled widely at her own wonderful idea.

"You don't have a TV..." Shuuzen said, a bead of sweat forming on her head.

"Let's go to the city and watch a movie then!"

Hinata sighed. "Are you two drunk?"

"Just a little..."

**-Month Four-**

Hinata woke up early today for no particular reason. She just did, so she decided to go outside and climb some trees, it was the middle of winter now and a very large amount of snow was on the ground.

_Snow... I wonder how Naruto-kun is doing._ _Is he still in Snow country?_

She thought to herself for a few minutes before walking up a tree. The exercise was rather boring now, and all the water was frozen so she couldn't practice the water walking exercise.

Only six more months until she would see him again. She had decided that by the time he gets back, she will have learned as much about Genjutsu as she could and be a decent medic-nin as well. She had her work cut out for her though, as both of them take some time to master. She took to Genjutsu quite well for someone who wasn't originally a Genjutsu type, so that made things easier for her teacher, and her impeccable chakra control helped as well.

She heard someone open the door and call out to her. "Hey, Hinata. Get back in here before you freeze your toes off."

"Okay, Shuuzen-sensei." She dropped from the tree and walked to the door, shaking the snow off her clothes. "Where is Genka-sensei?"

"She went to check on something in the city, she should be back tomorrow. In the meantime, tell me about this Naruto-kun of yours." She smiled at the now blushing girl. "I'm just curious."

"O-Okay..." She walked in and sat on the couch. "What do you want to know?"

"Hmmm... What's he look like?"

"Oh... He used to be short, but now he's almost six feet tall. He has messy blonde hair and blue eyes. He used to always wear a big orange jacket and orange pants, but now he wears an outfit that's mostly black with some orange stripes. And he has..." She paused, trying to think of what to call the marks on his face. "...whiskers."

"Whiskers!"

"Well, it's a birthmark or something. They're really cute... I mean... Well, I like them."

Shuuzen tried to imagine a tall boy, wearing a black and orange ninja outfit, with messy blonde hair, blue eyes and whiskers. "How messy is his hair?"

Hinata couldn't help but giggle, she loved his messy hair. "I don't think he's ever combed it in his life."

Shuuzen laughed at her student, she could tell by her expression that this Naruto person was very special to her. "Okay, enough of that. Starting today, Genka and I will be working you even harder than before."

"Yes, sensei."

"Alright, let's hit the books!"

* * *

Naruto was back in Snow village, Ryoku had called a free day. This 'free day' was very boring.

"So, Naruto."

"Hmm?"

"What was it like, growing up? I haven't heard much about your past, except that you had no parents and some bad things happened to you."

Naruto sighed a little. _Might as well tell a few stories about my childhood, it'll pass the time._ "When I was a kid, I was put in an orphanage. Nobody ever adopted me, and the caretakers avoided me. Sometimes, kids would try to be nice and play with me, they would just take them away."

"Sounds lonely..."

"It was. I was alone all my life. When I was old enough to enter the Ninja Academy, I would always screw up at everything, and even the not-so-cool group would stay away from me."

"Why?"

"Because they all hated me. Every adult in the village either despised me or was afraid of me, and that passed down to their kids. My earliest memory is of someone trying to beat me to death, yelling at the top of his lungs. I don't know what he was saying or why he stopped... but later on, I realized that everyone wanted me dead."

"Why?"

That was the question that had plagued Naruto for the first twelve years of his life: Why did everyone hate him so?

"It's the reason I'm an S-ranked missing-nin."

_S-ranked? This kid's an S-ranked criminal?_ "What did you do?"

"To earn the rank? I killed four ANBU, the team that had been sent to bring me back to the village."

"Four ANBU?" He raised his eyebrows. "Impressive, but you're avoiding the question. What is the real reason?"

Naruto closed his eyes and shook his head. "You'll find out later."

"Whatever. So what happened after the academy?"

"I was put on a team, Sasuke and Sakura were the names of my teammates. I had a crush on Sakura, and she liked Sasuke. Everyone liked him as a matter of fact." He scoffed. "He was the genius ninja that survived the Uchiha tragedy. Either way, he went berserk eventually and left the village to train with Orochimaru. Sakura went to train with Tsunade and I left with Jiraiya. I came back two years later, after Tsunade was assassinated. I went to see some of my old friends, and my favorite teacher. He was like a father to me." He smiled faintly, remembering all the good times in Ichiraku ramen, but the smile didn't last. "The next day, I went back to the academy to talk to him, but he was dead. Sasuke had come and killed him, to get to me. That's when I decided to leave, I didn't have any reason to stay, the village still hated me, the Hokage is a phony and my two precious people had been killed."

"Two?"

"Tsunade and Iruka. Iruka was my teacher."

"So what did you do?"

"I went straight to the gate. Hinata stopped me, and convinced me to let her come."

"So what about the Hokage, you said he's a phony."

"Yeah, he hired some elite assassins to kill Tsunade. She slept a lot and it takes a little bit of effort to wake her, so it was really too easy for them. He's still a Kage-level ninja though, he just doesn't give a damn about anyone other than himself, especially not the village."

"Why do you care what he does with the village?"

"Because it's always been my dream to become Hokage and help protect the village, to make everyone recognize me. I am still going to become Hokage, but it won't be as easy anymore since I'm a criminal and all."

"You can say that again."

"You won't tell anyone about this Hokage. He's my problem."

"Fair enough. So what about this Hinata girl?"

He thought for a minute, what was she? A teammate? A comrade? A friend? "I'm not sure..."

**-Beginning of Month Ten-**

Genka and Shuuzen smiled proudly, they had done a wonderful job, and in only nine months.

"Okay, Hinata. Your official training is over." Genka told her student.

"But, isn't there still another month left?"

"Yes, but I've taught you everything you need to know, and so has Shuuzen. We could teach you so much more, but you really shouldn't specialize in Genjutsu or Medical stuff. Still, you're talented, and you still know more about both Genjutsu and Medical techniques than most Jounin ever will, unless they specialize in it."

"So what should I specialize in?"

"I don't know... maybe your Jyuuken thing, or maybe something else. You just need to choose a path you think will be good for you and stick with it. So, any idea what you're going to do with your life now that your training is over?"

She blushed. "Umm... I have a few ideas..."

"Hehehe, I'll let you stay with me until he shows up, it shouldn't be too much longer now."

"Yeah... Just a few more weeks."

* * *

**-End of Chapter 6-**

**Revised on 9/4/2011  
**


	7. The Matchmaker

**-Genka the Matchmaker-**

* * *

It had been a full ten months, and Naruto should return to Rain country any day. It was summer and the stream flowed again, and Hinata had mastered the water walking exercise with ease. Her Genjutsu easily surpassed Sakura's, but her medical skills weren't in the same league. She was able to control her chakra perfectly now, thanks to rigorous training with her two teachers.

She was getting anxious now that he was about to come back. What would he think about her new skills? Would he be happy? Did she learn enough? And what if he just didn't pay any attention? What if he didn't care? Well, she would be able to handle it if he didn't care, but she wanted him to anyway.

"Hinata, you look a little tense." Shuuzen was a bit worried. "You okay?"

Hinata had discovered that Genka was the tough teacher, which she hadn't expected at first. On the other hand, Shuuzen seemed to be the caring, compassionate kind of person. She realized that she was very much the same way. But Shuuzen always seemed to know what to say, and never said or asked anything too personal, except for that one time when she was drunk and asked if Hinata was in love with Naruto, but nothing bad came of that.

"I'm fine."

"Okay."

"Umm... do you know when Naruto-kun will get here?"

Her teacher smiled a little. "Soon enough, Genka heard from Ryoku last week that they were on their way. They're probably getting off their boat right now."

"Okay..."

A short silence followed before Genka came in. "You guys are being awful quiet." She looked toward her friend, who had a sarcastic smile on her face.

"She's worried about her boyfriend."

Hinata's face turned a bright shade of red. "He... he isn't my boyfriend..."

The two women ignored her. "So what's the news with Naruto and Ryoku?" Shuuzen asked.

"No news, in fact I haven't heard from them in a few days. Oh well. So Shuuzen, why aren't you going home?" Genka was a bit confused that Shuuzen had decided to stay for so long, it really wasn't like her.

"I want to meet this guy, need to make sure he's good enough for Hinata here." She smiled wryly at the young, dark-haired girl.

"Oh. He's good enough, trust me." Genka was smiling still, but the joking tone was gone.

"Oh? What do you know that I don't? Well... okay so you've actually trained him so you know a lot more than I do..."

"Yeah, the kid's had it tough. He matured at a much earlier age than most boys do." She sighed and closed her eyes.

Hinata was confused now, he didn't seem so mature when they were twelve. "What do you mean, Genka-sensei?"

"I mean while he would always act stupid, he was often collected inside. Or at least he had a strong will and didn't give up. Jiraiya said that he's always thinking ahead, and apparently he would train until he couldn't move every day since the day he joined the academy."

Hinata thought back to those days and realized something: Genka was absolutely right. She remembered watching him train sometimes when she didn't have anything better to do. He wasn't loud or stupid in times like that, he was calm and focused even though he didn't seem to have much talent. He had also been able to plan ahead in his fight with Neji, and came out on top in the end. _There was always so much more to him and nobody ever noticed._

****

"Ryoku-sensei."

"Yes?"

"When can I take off these weights?" Naruto pointed to an object that was wrapped around his forearm. Most people wouldn't imagine it would be a training weight, as it was so small. It almost seemed decorative, like the bands around Lee's legs do, but they were almost as heavy as what Naruto was wearing.

"You really shouldn't take them off except for sleep and when you're in a tough fight."

"Gah, it's freaking four hundred pounds." Naruto whined. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to walk like this?"

"That's all? I thought you were wearing more than that."

"Shut up." Naruto glared at the man.

After walking several more miles in silence, they had finally reached the big city near Rain country. They skipped over it and continued into the woods, but before they entered, they heard someone behind them.

Naruto turned around in time to see a big dog try to tackle him. He sidestepped and the dog flew past, another identical dog came from the other side and was similarly dodged.

"This is bad." Naruto sighed as the two canines crouched a little and growled.

"Why?" Ryoku was watching the dogs calmly. "They don't look like much."

"They're not the problem."

"What is?"

"Them." He pointed across the field, back toward the city.

Ryoku looked down where Naruto was pointing and saw two people, a woman about twenty-five and a tall boy about Naruto's age with a big white dog standing at the ready in front of him. "Who are they, Naruto?"

"Old rival and his sister." One of the dogs inched a little closer and Naruto's head dropped a little. "This is annoying. Just let me handle it."

"You got it." Ryoku walked up to a tree and leaned against it.

"Hey Kiba." Naruto walked up toward the two people.

"N-Naruto?" His eyes widened in shock, then narrowed again. "We've finally found you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You mean you've been looking for me for almost a year?" He stuffed his hands in his pockets, mimicking what Sasuke always used to do to him.

"Where's Hinata?" Kiba growled.

"That doesn't concern you." Naruto turned and started walking away, the conversation was already over. Once again, Konoha didn't give a damn about him. Even Kiba only asked about Hinata.

"The hell it doesn't!" Kiba jumped at the boy, letting his anger take control.

Naruto turned around and stopped Kiba with a cold glare. "Stupid, if you want information then go about it a little more gently. And if you're going to fight, do it right." Naruto hit his opponent, knocking him off his feet and onto the ground next to Akamaru. "If you care about Hinata, let her choose for herself. It wasn't my idea for her to come along."

Kiba rubbed his face where Naruto had smacked him. A light bruise was forming there. "Dammit Naruto..."

"Don't make me beat it into you." He walked back toward the forest. "Just go back to Konoha and tell them she's fine."

"Naruto." Kiba stood back up.

"What?"

"What did you mean it wasn't your idea?"

"It was her idea to leave together, and this was her idea too." He said, pointing at his headband. "Now go back to Konoha, before I make you."

Kiba growled. "No way in-"

"Kiba, let's go. He was able to beat you all those years ago, and now he's trained under a Sannin." His sister interrupted. "And he killed those four ANBU, do you want that for us?"

"No..."

Naruto took advantage of this opportunity and tossed a smoke bomb to cover his escape, followed closely by his mentor.

"What's the rush?" Ryoku said as he caught up to the blonde ninja, who seemed a little troubled.

Naruto slowed down, there wasn't really any reason to run.

"So who were they?"

"Kiba was Hinata's teammate before we left. We had some little rivalry for a while."

"Interesting. So he's an Inuzuka?"

"Yeah. He's supposed to be one of the stronger ones too. He managed to survive against one of the Sound Four long enough for backup to show up, and that was almost four years ago, back when we were twelve.

"I've heard of them, Orochimaru's personal guards when he formed Sound Village. Where were you when that happened?"

"He ran off to fight the Sound guy and I went on to the main objective. I fought a guy named Kimimaro for a while before one of my comrades came to help, then I kept moving."

"Kimimaro?"

"He was Orochimaru's strongest man, he was supposedly able to beat the entire Sound Four without breaking a sweat."

"What happened to him?"

"Apparently he died at random, he suffered from some rare disease and it just killed him."

"Lucky."

"Yeah."

After a few more minutes of silence, Ryoku sighed happily. "We're here."

"Right, I'll finally be able to take off these effing weights."

"Don't keep them off too long, if you do then your muscle will turn into fat."

"Great... then why did I start wearing them in the first place?"

"It teaches self-discipline. It's also cool to take them off and surprise your opponents with your super speed."

"Yeah... whatever." Naruto knocked on the door and a strange woman answered.

"So you must be Naruto!" The woman was about as tall as he was. She was a true albino, with long white hair that reached down her back and pale pink eyes. Something about her seemed to radiate with a gentle kindness.

Ryoku cringed a little. _Shuuzen and Genka are together... this could be scary._ "Hello Shuuzen."

"Hey Ryoku, come on in."

"Thanks." Ryoku said as he walked through the door.

Naruto didn't respond, just nodded politely. When they walked in, they found the place a huge mess, training materials scattered all over the place. Books were piled on tables nearly to the point of falling and crushing anyone near them.

"Hinata and Genka are out, they went to practice something. We're officially done teaching her but she insists on us helping her practice some of the things she feels she needs to work on. How did it go for you?"

"This kid would train through his free time." Ryoku shook his head. "He's got no sense of fun."

"Really!" Shuuzen frowned a little. "That's not what I've been told."

"He's barely even smiled since he got to Snow country."

"I just had a lot on my mind." Naruto grumbled at the man. He was getting tired of the way he had been acting now that their training was over, all nice and sarcastic.

"I guess so..."

They heard the front door opening and two people walked in.

"N-Naruto-kun!"

"Oi, Hinata-chan." He stood up and smiled at her, his first real smile in a long time.

Hinata was trying to find something to say, anything to keep from looking dumb. Unfortunately, words did not come out of her mouth. _Do something! Say 'I missed you'. Hug him. ANYTHING! _

"Hinata?" Naruto looked puzzled. "You okay?"

Hinata nodded. _Hug him! No. Yes! No! YES! N- Oh screw it!_ She ran up to Naruto and hugged him tightly, blushing madly. _I'm doing it again! What will he do?_

Naruto blinked, trying to shake off his surprise. He looked over at the three onlookers, who were gesturing madly for him to do something. He felt the same rush of emotion that he had the last time she hugged him.

_Damn it... _He sighed. _Oh screw it._ He hesitantly hugged her back.

"Awwww now isn't that cute?" Genka said in an annoyingly sweet voice, embarrassing the two teens in front of her who sat down next to each other on the couch. "Well, you won't all fit in my house I'm afraid. So someone is going to have to go to the city and stay in the hotel."

All eyes went to Ryoku. "What? And leave Naruto all alone in a house full of girls?"

The two women nodded.

"Fine... I know better than to get you two going. It's getting late. Our encounter with the dog kid somehow cost us an hour."

"Dog kid?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah, it was Kiba and his sister." Naruto sighed. "They were worried about you. I told 'em you're fine and sent them back to Konoha. We'll need to set out first thing in the morning so we can be far away when Konoha gets the hunter-nins over here."

"Okay." She smiled, happy that they would be together again.

"That's it! You don't want to go back with Kiba?" Naruto's surprise was quite evident in his voice, he had expected her to want to return since she had the chance.

Hinata looked shocked and a little hurt. "Do you want me to?"

"Wha? No, I was just surprised. I thought you'd want to go back."

Hinata shook her head.

"Okay, Naruto. I expect to see you at the city gates at nine in the morning. There are a few things I need to ask you." Ryoku said as he picked up his pack. He was wondering just who this Hinata girl was, since he was actually smiling AND talking, two things he hardly did in snow country. He also wanted to know the true reason for his S-rank status.

"Alright."

* * *

Kiba was walking to his room at the hotel now. He couldn't stop thinking about his encounter with Naruto. "He said Hinata's safe... But I didn't see her... This is so troublesome."

"Hey, you're that kid from before."

"Huh?" Kiba turned around and saw the man that had been with Naruto. "Did you follow me here?"

"No, they made me come here. I have to stay in the hotel tonight." He sighed dramatically.

"What? Who's 'they'?"

"Two women that can become quite scary if you get on their bad side. Naruto and Hinata are there too, and you're lucky that you're their friend."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a member of Hidden Rain, but since I'm in a good mood, I'll just forget I ever saw you."

"I'll do the same thing for you, if you can confirm what he told me." Kiba smiled smartly, he would maybe be able to get some information, but seeing as how this man was from Rain it might not be so reliable. But it was still better than nothing.

"Sure, Hinata's fine. She's been training under two very talented and powerful ninjas for the past ten months. She has some weird effect on him too, he never smiles except when he's around her."

"Naruto... doesn't smile?"

"Okay, you forget you ever saw me now, because I told you what you wanted to know."

Kiba nodded and opened the door to what was presumably his room, then jumped back out and dodged a frying pan that was thrown out the door after him.

"PERVERT!"

"S-Sorry!"

* * *

Back in Genka's house, four people sat silently. Two women each on a chair and two teens sitting in a couch.

Hinata stole a glance in his direction. _Talk to him! Do something!_ _Ask him about his training, tell him you missed him, ANYTHING!_

Genka watched the show, it was much less interesting than she had expected. _Hinata, you wuss. Just hug him or something, he'll love it. Trust me, I saw the way he looked at you back then._ After a few more minutes of Hinata taking quick looks toward him, and Naruto just staring at his lap, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She put her hands together in her lap and discreetly made a few seals.

Hinata was staring at her knees, Naruto had barely said a word the whole time he had been back. Was he angry? Maybe just tired? She was trying to figure it out when suddenly she felt very sleepy. She looked next to her and saw the boy she loved, just sitting there. _Naruto-kun..._

Naruto was staring at his lap, somehow he couldn't really form any words. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but he just couldn't think of anything to say. _Great... this sucks._

Suddenly, he felt some weight on his left side and something grabbed his arm. He looked there to see Hinata, asleep or almost asleep, holding his arm and leaning against him with a soft smile on her face. Naruto eyed the woman who undoubtedly had a hand in this.

"What are you looking at?" She said innocently.

"You did this, didn't you?"

Genka smiled wryly. "Well it was just so boring, I thought I'd see if this made it any more interesting. Besides, she'd never do anything on her own and you'll always ignore any feelings you might have for her. I thought I'd play matchmaker."

"I can't get involved with anyone, not in my position."

"What?" Genka blinked. "Why not?"

"It's a liability. All my precious people have been killed. I don't want to lose another important person, even if it means not letting anyone become important to me."

"Stupid. You really think that?" She shook her head sadly. "You have very little control in how important someone becomes to you. If someone is trying not to fall in love, but does anyway, he'll just ignore his feelings and not admit to himself that he's in love. But if anything happens to his precious person it would still hurt him just as much, maybe even more." She said seriously. "You shouldn't do that, if someone becomes important to you, don't bury your emotions. It will just make life even more painful in the end."

Shuuzen was watching silently, she wasn't exactly used to Genka's more serious moods. This was a speech she hadn't heard before. _I'll have to ask her about it later._ She looked toward Naruto, who was staring at the girl on his arm with a slightly confused expression on his face. _I wonder what he's thinking._

_What should I do, is she right?_ He understood what she had told him, but it seemed too happy. Life isn't really like that, is it? He sat silently, watching the girl who loves him. Something inside him wanted for her to never let go of his arm, another part was screaming at him to stop thinking like that.

"I'm not going to tell you what to think, but you should seriously consider what I've told you. It could be very important later on." Genka held up her hands in another seal with a devious smile.

"What are... you... doing... now?" His eyelids suddenly weighed too much for him to hold up and he fell asleep.

"You're evil, Genka." Shuuzen smiled at the sight.

"He might threaten to kill me in the morning, and she'll just blush and stay quiet. But it's fun, no?" Genka finished tucking them in together and smiled at her handiwork. Since it was a couch and not a full-size bed, the two were so close that they were practically on top of each other. "We'll see what happens in the morning. As for now, I'm hungry." She said as she headed off to the kitchen.

Shuuzen sighed. "Well, Hinata. I think you'll be happy when you wake up." She smiled at the two teens asleep on the couch. "You two would make a really cute couple, you know that?" With that, she followed her friend into the kitchen for some food.

* * *

Jiraiya had decided that he had put it off long enough, it was time to do something about the state of the Sannin. There had been only two Sannin for more than a year now, but they need three. He decided to hurry and see the Hokage, he would need his permission for the mission.

"Hokage-sama, I need a word." He said as he walked into the Hokage's office. The man was sitting behind his desk reading a scroll, which he quickly put away under his table.

"Yes, Jiraiya-sama? What is it?" He said as he stood up.

"It's about the Sannin, we're only two now. Some people would say that there is only one left, because Orochimaru is no longer with Konoha. It's about time we fixed that problem, if we don't then other villages may see us as weak. After all, we are mainly a symbol of the village's power. I have already heard of reports in other villages that mention it."

"Why do you need to talk to me then? It's the Sannin's job to select a new Sannin, not the Hokage's. If you need permission then fine. You may select a new Sannin, I believe Haruno Sakura was selected by Tsunade and has already made a pact with the slugs."

"Yes, but it's not that simple." Jiraiya sighed and shook his head. "I cannot instate only one new Sannin, we must form an entirely new group."

"That could be a problem... They would all need to be able to summon a creature wouldn't they? Well, maybe you could speak with Kakashi about his dog contract, perhaps even make him a new Sannin."

Jiraiya shook his head again. "We could do that, but not in our situation. Slugs have been handed down to Sakura before Tsunade's death. She also has the potential for great things, so she can be a Sannin. Kakashi has a dog summon, which makes him at least partially eligible but he doesn't have the potential, the other two would quickly outclass him and we can't have that. If we manage to get a dog contract for another person that has the potential, that would be fine. But there are no other summoning contracts in the village of Konoha. That leaves us with only two still"

"You have frogs, don't you? Why don't you go look for someone that can be the frog Sannin?"

"Because the frog king, Gamabunta, only allows for one contract per generation, and every generation after my own has already been taken."

"There have been two generations after you, who are the contract holders?" The Hokage wasn't liking where this was going. He didn't know what the Sannin was about to say, but it was surely bad news.

"I am the contract holder, and the signer for the generation below mine was the Fourth Hokage. Then if we go down one more generation, it's Uzumaki Naruto."

This was not good news. It didn't much matter if they had three Sannin, but it would be bad if other villages saw this as a weakness and tried to take advantage of it, if that happened then it would screw up all his plans. It was true that there weren't any other beast summoning contracts in Konoha, so they were stuck with the blonde traitor.

"What do you plan to do about it?" He asked, obviously very annoyed by this news.

"Hokage-sama, please allow me to search for Naruto. And if I do find him and manage to bring him back, then his S-rank status must be purged from the records."

The Hokage rubbed his temples with his right hand. This was very annoying. After a minute, he waved Jiraiya out of his office. "Yes, go find him."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Jiraiya poofed away, giving the Hokage privacy once again.

He pulled out the scroll from under his desk and continued reading. _Damn it, how much longer until he gives me the signal? I swear, all his plans take too long._

****

Naruto woke up after a dreamless night. It was quite refreshing to get a break from his recurring visions and nightmares. Even though he was getting used to them, he had a feeling that they had been doing something he didn't want to happen.

_I guess the fox is giving me a break._ He stayed still a few more minutes before he realized something. This couch was oddly comfortable, and it was warm. He felt a light weight on top of him. _What the...?_ He opened his eyes to see girl with slightly messy, dark hair laying on his chest.

_THE HELL!_ He blinked slowly, trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

Hinata stirred, starting to wake up. She felt warm and safe, and much more comfortable than she usually was when she woke up. There was also that familiar scent again, only slightly less rameny. She opened her eyes and saw something she had most definitely not expected. She had never been so close to him, she'd never been so close to anyone. She was lying on top of him, her arms were wrapped loosely around his body and she felt his arms around her waist, the weights around his wrists pushing her down onto him.. "Uh- N-Naruto... kun?"

"Um- G-good morning?" Naruto laughed nervously. "I swear, I-I didn't do anything." He moved his arms away to let her get up.

Hinata pulled herself away and quickly hid herself behind a blanket. Only the top half of her face was showing, to hide the blush. "Um... good morning... Naruto-kun..."

"Ehehehe, morning." _I'm going to kill Genka for this._

"Gooood morning, you two. I hope you were comfy last night." Genka said as she walked into the room, an annoyingly peppy smile on her face.

Shuuzen yawned as she walked in through the door from the guest room. She looked like she'd just woken up. "Sorry guys, I would've stopped her if you two didn't look so sweet together."

"Thanks for nothing." Naruto said sarcastically, then glared at Genka. "What the hell did you do that for anyway?"

"You didn't seem to mind a few minutes ago. You two were getting all snuggly before you woke up." She laughed at the poor, teased teens. Hinata was obviously embarrassed, and looked like she was about to faint. Naruto looked angry, but it was probably just another one of his fake emotions put up to hide the real ones. "All wrapped up in each other. You liked it, didn't you Naruto?"

The blonde's eye twitched. "Shut up."

"AHA! You DID like it!"

More eye-twitching. "I said shut up."

Shuuzen sat down next to Hinata, on the opposite side as Naruto. "He'll get it someday, just give him time."

Hinata's blush faded. _Where have I heard that before?_ That was one of the last things that Iruka-sensei had said to her. She was a little confused. "What do you mean?"

The white-haired medic-nin smiled gently. _Sooner or later, he'll realize just how important you are to him. _"Never mind, it was nothing."

* * *

**-End of Chapter Seven-**

**EVERYONE PLEASE REVIEW AGAIN! Revised on 9/4/2011  
**


	8. Onward

**-Onward, to Waterfall Village!-**

* * *

The raven-haired boy walked impatiently alongside a particular silver-haired medical ninja. His prey hadn't shown up in Sound village yet, and Orochimaru was unhappy with how long it was taking. So our young friend decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Sasuke-sama, where are you taking me?" Kabuto asked politely. He had learned quickly that it was not smart to anger this boy. There was little wonder why Orochimaru wanted him so badly.

"I need to become more powerful if I am to defeat my brother. Orochimaru cannot have my body until I have finished that. We're just going to check on someone." He kept looking forward, his dark eyes showing no emotion. He wore long black robes now, similar to those of Akatsuki but without the clouds. His black hair was pulled back in a ponytail and hung down his spine. He wore no Headband, a sign of defiance against Sound Village that Orochimaru had wholly ignored.

"We're going to find Naruto-kun?" Kabuto remembered the last time Sasuke had wanted to do something about the blonde boy, it had resulted in a bloody school room and a dead teacher. The teacher never stood a chance. And this was probably going to wind up in a similar way.

Sasuke just barely smiled. "He is the only person that I still consider a friend. So naturally, I have to kill him." With that said, he picked up the pace.

Kabuto walked a little faster to keep up. _Sometimes it seems like he has to kill everyone these days._

* * *

Naruto still hadn't been able to take off his weights because Genka forced him to sleep the previous night. But he had a wonderful night's sleep, without any dreams. So he wasn't complaining.

"Hey, Hinata. You ready to go?"

"Yes, Naruto-kun." She said as she slipped on her backpack. It was time for them to set out together again, she couldn't wait.

"Okay, let's see." He checked his pack one last time, then threw it over his back. "Alright, I'm ready."

"Okay, remember to go see Ryoku at the city gates." The woman named Shuuzen reminded him. She seemed almost motherly, and it almost made him want to stay a while longer, but that just wouldn't work. He had to get going before Kiba got word back to Konoha of where they were hiding.

"Yeah, thanks." He smiled and headed for the door.

"Naruto." Genka stopped him. "Remember what I told you."

He felt that weird emotion again. It was becoming more and more common since he left Konoha, but not while he was in snow country. He was beginning to realize that his female companion was important to him, too. "Yeah, I'll remember."

With that, the two Konoha deserters were out the door.

"Think they'll be okay?" Shuuzen asked as she started packing her own stuff into a bag. It was time for her to leave as well.

Genka sighed. "I'm not sure, I just have a bad feeling about it all. Something doesn't feel right... There's something way bigger than us at work here."

"I hate it when you say stuff like that. Something bad always happens."

* * *

"So, where are we going Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

"Ehh..." He stopped walking for a minute. He really didn't know. Then a brilliant idea came to his head, or at least he thought it was brilliant. "We're going to Waterfall village!"

"Waterfall?" Hinata had only heard of the existence of such a village during the Chuunin exam, where there had been three ninjas from that village. "Where is it?"

"It's a secret. They take the term 'hidden village' very seriously, so I can't tell you. All I can say is that you'll like it."

"What's it like there?"

"Hmm?" He thought for a minute. "Well, it's got this huge waterfall. It's pretty cool. There's a big tree in the middle of the village, it's supposed to be sacred or something. I really can't say much more until we get there, Waterfall village policy." He remarked that it was a policy he had to follow but he actually couldn't remember anything that he had learned about the place.

She wondered why he really cared about the other village's policy, but decided not to ask. Eventually they reached the city gates where a large man was waiting for them.

"Oi, Ryoku-sensei."

"Naruto, I have to ask you a few questions. Without Hinata."

Hinata nodded and waited at the gate. The two men walked off into the city to talk. Ryoku decided not to say anything about the girl that was traveling with Naruto, but just to skip to the chase. "Why is Konoha afraid of you?"

The blonde runaway sighed. He was expecting this. "Because they think that I'm just the Kyuubi reborn as a human. But I'm actually the carrier, not the demon itself."

"Oh."

"Huh! Just 'oh'?" Naruto was surprised that there was so little reaction from the man.

"Well, it just makes sense now. Your stamina and chakra capacity are friggin' crazy."

"Actually, even without the fox, I'd probably still have just as much. I almost never have to use its demon power."

_Really?... _Ryoku sighed. "Naruto, be careful."

"Alright, see ya later, sensei." Naruto waved goodbye and headed back to Hinata.

Ryoku turned around and headed back into the city. _It's a good thing he's got a good girl. I'd hate to see what he'd be like without her._

**You have no idea.**

_Hmm? It's been a while. What've you got for me this time?_

**That boy is full of surprises... the Kyuubi is the most powerful of the nine of us, and the most dangerous.**

_So what's the girl got to do with it?_

**She weakens its grasp on his mind. Without her, he might have been possessed by now.**

_How can you tell?_

**You said it yourself, he only smiles around her.**

_Interesting... how can a human have that effect on it?_

**I don't know. Let's just hope she stays with him for a long time.**

* * *

Naruto headed back to the city entrance, but the girl was nowhere to be found. "Hinata?"

"Naruto-kun." A vaguely familiar girl put her hand on his shoulder. "It's me, let's go."

"Huh?" He stared at the girl, obviously confused. "Who're you?" After he had said that, something seemed to fall into place in his head. The girl didn't change in any way, but he hadn't really noticed the defining features of her face until now. She had released a Genjutsu that masked her identity. If someone were to look at her, they would still see the white eyes but it wouldn't really seem out of place. Hinata was one of only two people that were able to do this. "Oh, Hinata. Why'd you do that?"

"I saw Kiba-kun, I didn't want him to notice me. I wasn't sure if it would work on Akamaru, but it seemed to..." She was speaking a little quickly, in a hurry to get out of there in case he came back. She couldn't hide both of them.

"Alright, let's go." And with that, they were gone. Unknown to them, they were being watched.

"You were right, Akamaru. It was her." He watched them until he could only make out little dots against the green field. They were talking to each other, laughing like normal people. If not for their destroyed headbands, you'd never know they were runaway ninjas. Slowly, he turned around and started back for Konoha. "Naruto was right though, It's not up to me if she comes back or not."

His sister had already left for Konoha a few hours before, since he wouldn't wake up on time. So now he was walking back to the village with only his closest friend, Akamaru. He understood everything his dog said as if he was actually speaking in human tongue.

_Are you alright? _Akamaru whined softly.

"...Maybe. I just never thought he was actually telling the truth. She really doesn't want to go back."

_Maybe she has a good reason._

"Knowing Hinata, she probably does."

They walked a while longer in silence before seeing another familiar face.

"Jiraiya-sama? What are you doing here?"

"Hmm? Inuzuka Kiba." He greeted the boy. "I'm on a special mission to find a new Toad-Sannin. Since I'm the only Konoha Sannin that's still around, It's fallen upon my shoulders to instate a new group of Sannin."

"Oh, so you're looking for Naruto?"

Jiraiya almost fell over backwards and a vein became visible on his forehead. "Do you know anything about him? I understand you've been searching for him on and off for a few months." Jiraiya asked professionally.

Kiba sighed. "No... I haven't seen him."

"Okay, well thanks anyway. Oh and please do keep quiet about this, it's supposed to be top-secret." Jiraiya sighed and mumbled something about troublesome teenagers and how they're too smart for their own good while he walked away. He continued toward the border between Fire and Rain countries. That was where Kakashi had seen him ten moths before, and it was the best place to start looking. After all, they really didn't have any other leads. Hopefully, fate would be on his side.

_Are you sure that was a good idea?_

Kiba smiled. "Nope."

* * *

The next afternoon, Naruto and Hinata had arrived in a small, unimportant country. They slept separately this time, but still shared his single tent. He stayed awake all night. No matter how much he got used to those dreams, he was never able to become numb to them. They still kept him awake as long as he was able to stay up.

They kept walking though the rocky hills until Naruto stopped.

"What is it, Naruto-kun?" Hinata looked around to see if they were being followed or something.

"We're almost there. We should wait here for them to come meet us, if we don't we might wind up dead. That's almost what happened last time I was here."

Hinata couldn't see any sign of civilization, just grassy fields and craggy rock. A small mountain range was set a short distance away in front of them. It was late afternoon, and the sound of moving water, a very large amount of it, could be heard. She decided against using her bloodline to inspect further, but instead trusted Naruto's judgment.

"So how long do we wait?" She asked as she walked up to him.

"Um... well, I don't really know. They react pretty fast when they detect intruders, but I'm not sure what they'll do about us just waiting for them. We should probably just sit and wait." He said as he sat cross-legged on the ground.

Hinata joined him on the grass. "Is it really so well hidden? I don't see anything here."

"Well, we're still about a half mile away from the gates, but it's still really well-hidden. And if someone were to find the entrance, they'd find it hard to get in without getting killed."

They sat talking for about half an hour before Naruto got tired of waiting. "Okay, We're going in."

"Why?"

"They're not coming out to meet us, something might be up. Maybe they're just being lazy. So either way, we're just gonna go on in." He stood again and waited for her to get up before he started running toward the cliffs ahead.

Hinata chased after him, he wasn't going very fast, he was just running because he was annoyed with the long wait. After a minute, she found herself standing at the bottom of a large cliff. She stopped for a second to admire the sheer height of it. After a second, she started after Naruto again, he turned a corner and went between two huge rocks, the space between the rocks was probably only a few feet, and the walls of the opening between them went all the way to the top of the cliffs, making it more of a very tall doorway. She went through and suddenly the faint sound of rushing water wasn't so faint anymore.

She slowed to a stop in front of a grand waterfall, hundreds of feet high and almost a hundred feet from side to side. The massive amount of water came crashing down into the base of a wide, fast-flowing river.

"Wow..."

"I knew you'd like it." Naruto grinned and walked atop a boulder to get a better perspective of the falls.

"This is the entrance? It's... huge."

"Yeah, but don't try to get through. If you do that, you'll likely be pulled down to the bottom and crushed under the pressure. If not crushed then at least drowned."

"So how do we get in?"

"There's a safe path where the water isn't coming down quite as hard. It's almost impossible to spot, but with your eyes it should be easy."

Hinata nodded and jumped atop another boulder for a better view, then activated her bloodline. She wasn't exactly sure what to look for, but it jumped out at her pretty fast. There was a route in where there was only a little water falling, but it was impossible to tell from the outside without her Byakugan. Also, there was a conveniently-placed, rock bridge running through that particular spot. The bridge was perfectly hidden from sight by the water flowing over it, but once again, Byakugan made things much easier. "I found it."

"Alright. Lead the way."

She jumped back toward the ground and walked up to the falls. The path was about twenty feet above the river, and you had to use chakra to climb up to it because the walls were sheer rock and damp because of the waterfall.. When they got up she walked through the water, praying her eyes weren't fooling her. She found herself standing on a stone bridge with massive pillars of water pouring down to each side. And she was completely drenched.

_Why didn't I see that coming?_ She sighed and continued walking until she was safely inside the falls, followed closely by Naruto, who was dry somehow.

"Okay, from here on it should be safe. The village is just a little ways in."

"Inside the mountain?"

"Yeah." Naruto nodded and continued into the large cave that was behind the falls. It was well-lit, but no lights could be found, almost as if the light came from nowhere. The air was humid, and the floor damp from the falls behind them. Eventually, they reached a giant, arched double-door with the Waterfall symbol painted into it.

"Hey, open up!" Naruto called to the other side. Part of the wall to the left opened and a Waterfall-nin walked into the cave.

"How did you get here unseen?" He asked carefully, eyeing the two for any tricks.

"We waited at the meeting point for almost forty-five minutes." Naruto explained. "Nobody came, so we just came ahead. I'm Uzumaki Naruto and this is my companion, Hyuuga Hinata."

"Uzumaki Naruto?" The man relaxed a bit. "I heard stories about you, came here a year ago and came to a millimeter of your life while trying to get into the village with Jiraiya-sama."

"Can we enter?" Naruto's eyebrow twitched.

"Please stay here while I ask the Hero." The man vanished into the stone walls.

"They're friendly here." Hinata smiled.

"Only because I've been proven trustworthy. They didn't trust me at all last time I was here."

"Oh."

"But they had a fun time watching me and Jiraiya fight with the waterfall..." He recalled a bitter memory. "Stupid waterfall..."

****

Later, the Leader of Waterfall village walked through the hidden side-door to the tunnel and greeted them, leading them through underground tunnels leading to other parts of the village.

"You're the Hero now?" The blonde boy blinked in surprise.

"Yeah, I'm the strongest person in the village that's able to live from the effects of the Hero Water. Everyone stronger than me is too old."

"But, you're younger than me!"

"So?"

Naruto was about to interject when he remembered something from long ago, back when he was still a green rookie. That was about the time he had started to respect Kakashi and listen to what he had to say.

There are people even younger than you... that are even stronger than me.

"Sure whatever." Naruto sighed. "As long as we can stay in the village for a while."

"Yeah, but why'd you leave Konoha?"

"Long story, and it's not something Waterfall needs to worry about anyway. Don't worry though, we're not psycho killers or anything." Naruto laughed lightly.

"Yeah. I trust you. So, who's your girlfriend?"

"Hinata? She's not my girlfriend."

"So, you wouldn't mind if I-" **-WHACK-**

"NO CHANCE IN HELL!" He smacked the Waterfall village leader over the head. _Wait... Why'd I do that? Ehh what the hell, he had it coming anyway._

"Geez... okay whatever. At least let me introduce myself." He turned to Hinata. "I am Oroka Osanai..."

Hinata's breath caught in her throat as she suppressed a laugh. The boy's name was ridiculous.

"...the leader of Hidden Waterfall Village, more commonly known as the Hero of Waterfall Village." He said proudly.

"Nice to meet you." She smiled politely. "I'm Hyuuga Hinata."

"Well, I must apologize for making you two wait so long for me."

"No problem, but it's late now, and we need a place to stay. Do you have any ideas?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, we have an Inn. I made a few changes when I became Hero and now we allow visitors. It's not a very big one, and we only have one room. Only one bed in it."

Naruto looked at Hinata, who had a shadow of a blush on her face. "That's okay, I'll sleep on the floor."

"Thanks... Naruto-kun." She smiled at him, wishing secretly that he hadn't said that.

"Alright, I'll take you there personally." He said as he opened the door to the village. They had been traveling through tunnels the whole time and hadn't even gotten a glance of the actual village. Even now they couldn't see much because it was dark. Hinata assumed that they turned off whatever light source they had when night came, to simulate natural night inside the mountain.

Eventually they reached the building, somewhat bigger than a large home. There were lights on in a few of the windows, indicating that there were a few other visitors to the village at the time.

"This is it, someone will take you to your room. I'm afraid I have to go now so I'll see you later." Osanai walked off, leaving the two standing in the entryway to the Inn.

"Welcome, please come this way." A girl a little older than them said as she walked to the entry room. "You room has already been prepared."

"Thanks." Naruto gave his foxy grin which was wholly ignored by the girl, who assumed that the two were lovers. They were led to the farthest room from the entrance and the girl handed Naruto a key.

"Enjoy your stay." With that, she turned and walked back down the hall.

"Alright, let's see what we've got here." Naruto said as he turned the key in the knob. The lock unlatched and he opened the door, revealing a room with a few amenities here and there. It was nicer than the hotel room they stayed in back when they left Konoha, and it had a king-sized bed.

Hinata saw the bed and had a strangely hopeful feeling. Ever since she woke with him the previous morning, she almost constantly thought about sleeping next to him. And maybe, just maybe, they might actually share this bed since it was so big. Sure, it was wishful thinking. But miracles happen every day right?

* * *

**-Earlier that day-**

"Okay, we will arrive at our destination tonight and rest until morning, we attack at dawn. I've been informed that their sentries have been taken care of, but how I don't know. Either way, they won't see us until it's too late." Shikamaru was explaining the mission. He had been appointed the leader of Strike Team Three, one of three elite groups sent to attack Konoha's newest enemy.

Shikamaru led Aburame Shino, Rock Lee and Hyuuga Neji. The other teams were led by the Jounins Kakashi and Kurenai and consisted of other Konoha Chuunin, as well as a few of the other kids from their old group, the Rookie Nine. There was also a small army of Chuunins at the disposal of the elites, or more specifically at the disposal of Shikamaru.

Their mission was to carefully and quickly erase a single Ninja Village from existence. It was supposed to be very large, but have weak Shinobi because of its seclusion and their lack of experience. The final part of the mission, the part that fell specifically on Strike Team Three, was to destroy anything left by the main attack teams and ensure that there were no survivors.

"YES, SHIKAMARU-SAN!" Lee did the Nice Guy pose. "We will eliminate the village that threatens Konoha, that is our duty as Konoha Ninjas!"

"So damn loud. So troublesome..." Shikamaru sighed. "Okay, we leave in thirty minutes, I know it's short notice but we're in a hurry. We'll meet the other three teams at the north gates then." With that, he went off to see his newest source of advice, Hatake Kakashi.

Kakashi noticed the look on his face. "You feel it too?"

"Yeah, this doesn't feel right." He sighed. "Troublesome mission."

Kakashi chuckled at that. "Just be careful. Use your best judgment and remember, even if ordered to do something, that doesn't mean that's what you should do."

"Where's this coming from?" Shikamaru raised his eyebrows.

"It was in my horoscope." He held up a small booklet. "Never failed me yet."

"How long have you been using it?"

"Just got it yesterday."

"Gah, Kakashi's superstitious..." He shook his head. "Time to find a new source of advice."

* * *

**-End of Chapter Eight-**

**Revised on 9/5/2011  
**

**You may have noticed that most of my OC names are Japanese words and make absolutely no sense as real Japanese names. Usually they support the character. This one does too, mostly. Osanai means 'Young' or 'Childish', both of which fit the character. But 'Oroka' is pretty much the adjective equivalent of 'baka'. So you could say that his name means (very loosely) 'young and stupid'.**


	9. End of the Beginning

**-Chapter Nine: End of the Beginning-**

* * *

The strike teams had arrived at their destination, and Shikamaru decided to make the best of the situation.

"We're ahead of schedule, it's just before sunset. So this gives us a chance to scout the area. You should look for anything useful, maybe an alternate way into the village. Also look out for troublesome things like traps or enemy ninja."

"Yes, sir!" His team chanted in unison.

Neji and Lee both went to the entrance of the village. They only knew where it was, but didn't have any intel on what it would look like due to poor planning on the Hokage's part, something Shikamaru had been complaining about the entire trip.. But lucky for them, it was rather obvious. They approached the waterfall slowly, watching in awe. It was like nothing they'd ever seen before, even greater in size and power than the one at the Valley of the End. But they also saw something out of place. Two figures were walking up the wall near the falls.

"That looks like..." Lee gasped, that messy blonde hair could be recognized by anyone. "Naruto-kun."

Neji quickly activated his Byakugan. When he directed his line of sight toward the two people climbing the rock walls, his mouth hung open in surprise.

They reached a certain point, and walked into the waterfall, still watched by Neji's eyes. He continued to watch them in relief. For the past ten months he had tortured himself for allowing this to happen, but she seemed fine.

He watched through the stone walls as the two reached the edge of his field of view, then he deactivated his bloodline. Excitement mixed with dread as he realized what this meant; they would be attacking their comrades from Konoha. Deserter or not, he still held a humble respect for the blonde Genin.

Lee saw the look in his partner's eyes. "It's them, isn't it?"

Neji only nodded his head.

"What are we going to do?" Lee asked.

Neji hesitated for a moment. "We will follow orders, and nobody will hear of this until we get back to Konoha. For now, we should find a way into the village, one they won't expect." With that, he reactivated his bloodline and searched for some discreet way to get into Waterfall.

* * *

**-Back in the Waterfall Inn, later that night-**

"Naruto-kun..." The dark-haired girl said quietly as she put her pack down near the door. Their room was average-size, and very well-kept. There was a single window and light carpet. And of course, the single bed.

"Yeah?"

"I... I wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead. It's probably the only way to get information out of me anyway." He half-joked.

"When we left, you said that we would train until I'm strong enough to 'save Konoha'."

"No, I said 'until _we're_ strong enough And yeah." He sighed. "Konoha's not in very good shape right now. It's a long story, but basically, that Hokage's an impostor. I don't know who he is, or whether he's working alone or has a partner. All I know is that he's the one who had Tsunade killed." He sighed again, sadly, and sat on the bed. "I don't really want to talk about that stuff right now,"

"She was important to you, wasn't she?" Hinata asked with a friendly, but ironic smile as she sat next to him.

"You could say that. I always called her 'baachan', and never really showed any respect. But she was special. Not like other people. She would make fun of me, too." He laughed gently. "She was almost like a big sister. A really_ old_ big sister"

Hinata smiled at that. "Why did you always call her that anyway?"

"She was over fifty."

"Huh?" Her mouth gaped open. "No way..."

"Yep, she hid it with her chakra or something. I know all sorts of things about her that most people don't know."

"Like what?" Hinata was more curious than anything else.

"Well, she had a real gambling addiction. And she always lost. In fact, she was known worldwide as the 'Legendary Sucker'. She also loved sake, and would take lots of breaks to go drinking. And she would always procrastinate as long as possible." He smiled at the old memories. "And this." He pulled out the crystal pendant that hung around his neck. "This was her most important possession."

"What is it?"

"It belonged to the First Hokage, her grandfather. She gave it to me a week after we met."

Hinata looked a bit surprised. "Why?"

"Well, I got into a fight with her because she was trash-talking the Third Hokage. I told her that one day I would be Hokage, that it was my dream. Then I tried to use Rasengan and she asked Jiraiya why he was teaching me 'moves I'll never be able to master'. I told her that I could use it after a week, and we made a bet. If I couldn't do it, then I would have to give up on becoming Hokage. If I could do it, she would give this to me."

"I trained all day, every day for the next week, until I collapsed the day before the deadline. She was so sure that I lost, that I wouldn't wake up for another two days at least. Well, that was before she knew about my healing powers. Hell, that was before I knew about them. But I woke up the next morning and surprised everyone. But when I woke up, Tsunade was off trying to fight Orochimaru. We got into a fight, and I beat Kabuto with Rasengan." He smiled proudly. "Jiraiya said that I restored her will to fight, and her faith in Konoha." _Too bad there's nothing left to have faith in now._

Hinata smiled and thought to herself. _You have that effect on many people, Naruto-kun._

Much of his story was rushed and he left gaps in important parts, she realized. He had mentioned things she hadn't known about before. _Wait, Rasengan? And he has healing powers? And what about Kabuto, wasn't he a Genin in Konoha?_

"Naruto-kun, I don't understand a few things."

"Hmm, like what?"

"Well, I've heard a few things about a move called 'Rasengan', but it was said that it died with Fourth Hokage." She went on to explain what little she knew about the move. "My father said that it was very powerful, but very hard to use as well. And he said that it took the Fourth Hokage several years to master it."

"Yep, most of that's true." Naruto smiled proudly. "Yeah, it was the Fourth's move, but he taught it to Jiraiya before he died. Kinda funny, cause Jiraiya was his sensei. And yeah, it's probably one of my strongest moves."

"But... it took you a week to master it?"

"Well, I didn't exactly master it. I had to make a Shadow Clone to help me concentrate. But after that point, I could control it myself. But later I heard Jiraiya saying that I was really smart to have thought of that so fast. Now I can use it one-handed, and I have a few special versions of it too."

"Okay... And you also said that you have healing powers."

Naruto looked a bit shocked. "I did?"

"Yes..."

"Ehehe. Yeah, I have a special healing ability, better than even Tsunade's. But I can only heal myself. And it's not something I like to use a lot, because if I do use it, it could do more damage than healing..." He paused for a moment. "Actually... it was more than three years ago when I really overused it. I can probably last a lot longer now."

"Better than Tsunade-sama?" Hinata's eyes widened a bit.

"Well, like I said, it only works for me. And it's a bit more complicated than normal powers and stuff. But yeah, I heal faster than normal people. And if I really use it while I'm fighting, it gets really hard to kill me."

"Do you use it often?"

"I haven't used it in almost four years. Like I said, I really don't like using it; I get healing powers, inhuman strength, unlimited chakra, stuff like that. But it's nearly impossible to bring out unless I'm an inch from death."

"Inhuman strength... and unlimited chakra? But if it takes that much, I can see why you don't want to use it." She said. "And you said something about Kabuto, did you mean the same Kabuto from the Chuunin exam?"

"Yeah, he turned out to be one of Orochimaru's cronies the whole time." He sighed. "Fooled us all."

A knock came from the door before Hinata could say anything.

"Who is it?" Naruto called to the other side, slightly annoyed.

"It's Osanai." Came the reply. "It's urgent, I need to talk to you, Naruto."

"Okay." He sighed in annoyance. "I'll back later, Hinata. You should try to get to sleep."

"Okay..."

Naruto opened the door to see a very serious Osanai, a rare occurrence. "What do you want?"

"There's something you need to see." He said quickly. "There's an army at the entrance of the village. You could be very helpful to us right now."

"Huh?" He looked confused. "What, you want me to fight them all by myself or something? It'll be tough but I can do it." He bragged, a wide grin on his face.

"No, I don't want you to fight. I want you to tell me their strengths and weaknesses."

"How would I know?" The confused expression returned to his face.

"Because they're all from your home village." He said seriously. "But I don't think they know you're here. They're here to start a fight."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "K-Konoha! Why would they want to fight-" He stopped mid-sentence as realization dawned upon him. "Oh shit. They're not here to start a fight." He looked at Osanai with a chilling expression. "They're here to start a _war_."

With that, the two dashed off toward the village gates. This impending attack had to be stopped somehow.

* * *

Shikamaru stood atop the highest peak, overlooking the valley in which their forces were assembled. Getting an idea of the terrain was always good in a fight, he knew they would probably not be fighting outside the village, but just in case they needed a speedy retreat, this was the way to get it done.

He looked toward the entrance to the village. Neji and Lee had reported that the only entrance was a hidden route through the waterfall. That was too troublesome, it would be easy to fall and die, and they could only get a few ninjas through at a time. If they needed to retreat, that would be a bad situation. It would also be troublesome if they got caught while only a few members of their teams had gotten through the falls, that would be a serious disadvantage.

That left one other option, one that didn't make much difference anyway: Make a new entrance.

He had set Lee, Neji and Shino to do that. Neji was to search for weak points in the mountain where it would be easiest to break through. Shino's job was to erode parts of the mountain away with his insects. They had decided that the easiest way for their team to complete their objective – cleaning up behind the main attack – was to just collapse the mountain. Shino's bugs would weaken the structure in order for this to happen.

By Shikamaru's estimates, it wouldn't be too difficult. The mountain was supposedly hollow, so that meant that imploding it wouldn't be too hard. It had one drawback though, it meant that no explosive tags or extremely powerful jutsus could be used during the fight, for risk of getting themselves crushed. After contemplating this, he had decided that it was a fair trade-off and approved the plan. Kakashi and the other Jounins had agreed and given their approval, and the plan was underway.

Still, Shikamaru considered it a last-ditch plan. He didn't want to contort the landscape so much if it wasn't absolutely necessary. A large river flowed over the mountain, and in blowing it up there was no telling what could happen. It could just form a lake, it could change direction. A river that large could have troublesome effects if tampered with, so hopefully he wouldn't have to use the plan.

"Yo, your men are waiting." Came the familiar voice from behind him. "Confucius say: Restless warriors fight poorly."

"Yeah, yeah." He sighed, stifling one of his 'troublesome' remarks. "Tell them I'll be right down."

* * *

Hinata sat alone on the bed, thinking about what Naruto had said to her earlier. About the new Hokage, and about Tsunade. His powers and the Rasengan. She never knew about any of this until tonight.

_The Hokage is a fake..._ She thought to herself. _Is that part of why Naruto-kun left? So... he really didn't leave only for revenge._ At this realization, she smiled. _I knew he couldn't fall that low._

"Hinata!" The familiar voice came from the door as the knob turned. The door almost flew open, but stopped only a few inches away from the frame.

"Stupid Naruto! You don't just barge in on a lady!" Came another voice, who she recognized as Osanai.

"Shut up! This isn't the time!" Came the backlash.

Hinata sighed. "What is it, Naruto-kun?" She asked, ignoring Osanai.

"Hinata, we need your help. Konoha's about to attack the village!"

"What!" She gasped.

"Konoha has an army set up near the entrance." Came Osanai's reply. "They seem to be preparing for a morning attack. We should prepare our defense right away."

"Are they here for us?" Hinata turned back toward Naruto.

He shook his head. "No, we don't think so."

Osanai turned and started walking down the hall. "Come on, we don't have much time. But we do have one advantage... unless Naruto went and blabbed all our secrets."

"Hmm? Oh! That advantage! Don't worry, nobody knows but us." Naruto smiled in assurance.

"Good. Come on then, Naruto. We'll let Hinata get ready."

"Right." Naruto said and followed Osanai out the door. Suddenly, he glared suspiciously at the leader of Waterfall Village. "I know what you're trying to do. And it's not gonna work."

"Oh, what _are_ you talking about?" He smiled mischievously.

"Shut up, you moron. Hinata wouldn't go for a guy like you." Naruto folded his arms.

"Ha! Can't you see it? She likes me."

They heard a choking noise from behind them. "Who are you talking about?"

The boys turned around to see Hinata. Blue-faced, one eye twitching and a vein visible on her forehead.

"And you say _I'm_ a moron." Naruto smiled triumphantly.

"You are! We've still got to stop your home village and you're here- GAH, Just come on!" He turned and marched importantly down the hall.

* * *

"Looks like the party's about to get started, eh Itachi?" A shark-like man smiled. "Do you think they're after him?"

The other man's expression didn't change, but remained cold and emotionless as always. "No, they would send more powerful ninja for Naruto, especially after what happened the last time they tried to bring him back. This is an attack party."

The shark-skin skeptically looked over the force assembled below them. "Looks kinda pathetic to be an attack party, doesn't it?"

"This village is pathetic, why send anything more to destroy it?" Itachi said slowly as a small grin crept across his face. "This Hokage is smarter than the previous peace loving ones." He chuckled. "Either that, or he's very stupid, and doesn't realize what this will start."

"What's that?"

"A war, Kisame." Itachi explained. "It will only start as a political war, but eventually someone will decide to use force. That will be a mistake."

"Sounds like fun." Kisame smiled again. "So when's this party gonna get started then? I'm running out of patience."

"They plan to attack at sunrise."

"That gives us plenty of time to get good seats."

"Remember, we're not here for sightseeing." Itachi said. "We're here to deliver a message. We can't let Naruto run around thinking he's safe from us, he needs to know we're still here."

* * *

Shikamaru looked across the small ninja army assembled before him, satisfied with his preparations. Neji, Lee and Shino had managed to burrow into some underground tunnels. This meant that Konoha would have control of all enemy pillboxes and thus eliminate most chances of a surprise counterattack, and it also gave them a convenient way into the village without being spotted.

Battle plans were set, Priorities worked out. There was now no excuse for a failed mission, everything should go smoothly. Now it was time to wait, wait until morning when they would begin.

Hours later, morning came, and a simple order rang through the ranks of Konoha's army.

"Begin the attack."

* * *

**-End of Chapter Nine-**

**Revised on 9/5/2011  
**


	10. Three Deadly Forces: Part 1

**English Translations of Japanese Attacks at the bottom of the chapter!**

* * *

**-Chapter Ten: Three Deadly Forces-**

The two cloaked figures stood above the valley. Watching, waiting for the right moment. One of the men shifted under his heavy cloak and unconsciously gripped the hilt of his sword, strapped over his back and wrapped in white tape. "Looks like they're moving."

His partner watched with little visible interest as the pathetic army made their final preparations and moved underground. He closed his eyes and waited a moment before speaking. A strange mix of anticipation and dread formed inside him as the battle began inside the mountain. "There's something hiding under this. A shadow that not even we know of. We had best be careful in the near future."

The shark-skinned man knew better than to say anything. Whenever Itachi said things like that, it was to be taken with all seriousness. Somehow, the Uchiha had always had some respect-demanding aura surrounding him that bound all those around him to silence.

Instead of talking, he thought to himself. _Things are going to be interesting now._

His partner started walking slowly down the mountain, eyes still closed. "Come, Kisame. The battle may be over earlier than we had previously expected."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

* * *

"Where'd they go?" One of the waterfall lookouts poked his head out to monitor Konoha's forces. "They're gone."

"Think they left?" Came the voice of his partner. "Maybe they chickened out."

"Maybe." The lookout came back in, drenched with water. "But it's probably some trick."

The other one shrugged. "I dunno, let's go report this to the others."

The first nodded in agreement. "Right, let's go."

They walked to the main gate of the village, called the guard and waited for his response. None came.

"Oh come on, what a time to be slacking off." The first lookout shook his head in disapproval.

"Yeah, seriously. We could be under attack and he's not at his post."

A few seconds later, they heard a loud noise from the other side and one of the massive doors fell forward, nearly crushing them.

"What the..." The second man turned to look around the door that was still up. "Oh shit! They got in somewhere else!"

"What!" The first one jumped toward his partner to look through the opening, and sure enough, there was a large-scale battle going on inside. "Come on, let's go!"

They jumped into the fray, determined as anyone to defend their home. While fighting, they could see a bigger battle going on between two ninjas. One of them was Osanai, and the other was a Silver-haired man from Konoha.

* * *

The two runaways were watching from the roof of the Inn they had stayed in the previous night, or at least, were supposed to stay in. In truth, neither of them even thought about sleep, both of them working to set up a reasonable defense, and both were wondering what they would do when the time came.

The fight hadn't yet reached that part of the village, but was still visible from the roof. Above them, Hinata could see a bright blue sky. A few stray birds could be seen flying around. She decided to ask how it was possible inside a mountain, after this was all over. "What are we going to do, Naruto-kun?" she asked, an edge of urgency was mixed into her voice.

"What do you think we should do?" He sighed and shook his head in exasperation. "Personally, I say we kick some Konoha ass."

She blinked in surprise at his sudden, bold statement. "We shouldn't do that, Konoha doesn't know that we're here. If we go fight, we'll lose our cover."

"I guess you're right..." He sighed heavily. "So... we just watch and hope they turn out okay?"

"That's really all we can do." She said sadly. "As long as we stay back, Konoha won't know we're here. I'm afraid that's the best choice for us."

"Konoha may not know you're here..." Came a voice from behind them, calm and collected. "But I do."

"What?" Naruto spun around at the sudden sound. _Why didn't we notice that before?_

In mid-spin, he dropped down into fighting position. His left shoulder pointed forward, and his left arm was pointed toward the voice. His right arm was held out a foot in front of his chest. When he completed his spin, he noticed who had said that. "N-Neji!"

He didn't move from his fighting position, and Hinata turned around to see her cousin, standing next to his partner. "Please, don't do anything rash."

"Hinata-san!" Came Lee's perpetually excited voice. "I am most relieved to see you are well. You too, Naruto-kun."

The blonde ninja let out a low growl. "Feh, don't 'Naruto-kun' me."

"Naruto." Neji said calmly, standing casually across the roof from where Hinata and Naruto stood. He was going to ask him a question, but realized he didn't have anything to ask. Instead, he held up his hands in a submissive gesture. "I don't want to fight you."

The blonde loosened up a little and stood up straight. He let his arms drop to his side and tilted his face forward, just slightly, to give the most intimidating glare he could muster. The two Konoha ninjas were unphased.

Neji kept eye contact with Naruto while he spoke. "Hinata-sama... What happened? Why did you leave Konoha."

Hinata gulped. "Because... I..." She paused and stared at the ground. "I need to be with... Naruto-kun."

"Neji, what are you going to do about it?" Challenged the whiskered boy. "Bring us back?"

The Hyuuga prodigy held the glare and calmly replied. "Yes. Undamaged... or otherwise."

"What?" Naruto's dark glare transformed into an entertained grin. "You think you can beat us?"

Neji and Lee shifted into their respective fighting stances. They were opposite fighters, and that made them an excellent team. The Hyuuga closed his eyes and reopened them to reveal the chakra-pumped pupils of an active Byakugan. "I will try."

"Too bad trying's not enough." Came the reply. Now it was Naruto's turn to stand casually and smirk. "You two may be talented... But we've trained with the best."

"Naruto-kun." Hinata whispered urgently, just loud enough for him to hear. "They didn't give me any combat training."

He smiled and whispered back "Make something up." And with that, he vanished in a burst of speed, only to reappear between Neji and Lee, facing the same direction as they were. "Hello boys."

Each of the Konoha ninjas took a hit to their face as the blonde swung his arms to the sides, contacting squarely with each of his targets. Lee and Neji stumbled back a few feet, and Lee held his face in his hands. Naruto decided to take advantage of Lee's state and jumped behind him with a kunai in his hand.

Neji was quick to act, and he appeared behind Naruto with a fistful of Chakra, ready to be forced into the blonde's body in a disabling blow to the spine. But when his hand contacted the person in front of him, he was surprised to see green instead of black and orange.

_Kawamiri. How did I fall for such a basic technique?_ Neji scolded himself before turning to his friend, who was standing in front of him and rubbing the spot where Neji had hit him. "Lee, are you alright?"

"I'll be fine after a visit to a medic. For now though, I can still fight." He held his fist forward and grinned. "Let's go!"

****

"So, you're the leader of this village?" Kakashi asked, almost lazily. "You're very young."

"Yes, I am the Hero of Hidden Waterfall." Osanai held his fist on his chest. "Sworn to protect my village, I won't lose to you."

"Big words, coming from such a small person." The Konoha Jounin tilted his head to the side and sighed. "But it doesn't matter, I have orders that I must follow."

"Before you do that, I have one question." Osanai interrupted. "Why is Konoha attacking us?"

"Huh?" The silver-haired man seemed a bit confused for a second. "Under different circumstances, I might be asking you that question. We captured the spies from your village, they revealed your plans to attack us."

"That's stupid! Why would we attack a peaceful village like our own?"

Kakashi paused, the argument made a small bit of sense. He pushed those thoughts away. "I'm sorry, but I have my orders. Hokage-sama wouldn't be pleased if I were to fail this mission."

Osanai sighed and slipped his hand into his pocket. "If you insist. Looks like you'll be going home in a body bag." After he said that, he pulled something out of his pocket – a vial of clear liquid - and took a long gulp from it. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Suddenly, his chakra expanded to the point where he couldn't hold it all in anymore, and he became surrounded in a bright blue aura.

"Impossibe!" Kakashi watched, wide-eyed, as his opponent smirked. "What did you just do?"

"It's a village secret, I'll tell you while I'm killing you."

"Looks like I'll need to step things up as well." Kakashi said as he pulled the headband up a bit, just enough to reveal his left eye. He opened his eye to reveal the red Sharingan as it spun and refocused itself. When the marks stopped rotating, he smirked under his mask. "This eye has many powers, I doubt you'll be able to beat me."

"We'll see." Osanai smirked. _He still hasn't noticed it yet._ "I know more about your Sharingan than you think I do. I know you can see my movements clearly, no matter how fast I move. I also know that you can copy my jutsus while I execute them. I've studied hard to earn my title, allow me to prove it!" He finished focusing the chakra around his opponent at the same moment he finished his sentence.

He put his hands together in the generic seal used to focus and control chakra. "Ninpou!" He shouted.

At the same time, Kakashi spoke in a whisper, so not to be heard. "Ninpou."

Osanai smiled at his opponent. "Kage Girochin!"

The same moment, Kakashi yelled. "Kage Girochin!"

Osanai's eyes widened. Time seemed to slow down as his mind raced. _What? He knew all along! _He looked across the field where Kakashi stood, a teasing look in his eyes. _He's playing chicken with me, waiting for me to jump away and call off my own attack._ He looked back toward Kakashi, who stood firmly planted in his spot, confident that he would emerge unharmed from this attack. He was right, Osanai jumped away in time to spare his life, but lost focus on his own attack, so Kakashi was spared as well.

"Damn!" Osanai landed on his feet and watched his opponent. _No way... he's better than I-_

"Had expected." Kakashi finished the thought. "Now do you see what I mean? This eye has many powers that you can't begin to comprehend."

"N-No way!" The teen's expression transformed from angry to terrified. "How can you do that!"

"My eye allows me to see the flow of chakra, how it moves in your body. Your entire body, including your brain, is linked to the chakra systems. By watching your chakra, I can know – to a certain extent - what you are thinking, and exactly how you will move and act several seconds into the future. This allows me to set up a defense for your moves essentially before you even think to use them."

"N-No way..." He gasped. "That's not possible!"

"Oh, it's very possible. And so far, only one person has been able to defeat it." _When Lee is drunk, not even he knows what his next move will be. _

Osanai's breathing slowed back to a normal rate as he regained his composure. "I'll be the second one to beat it."

"How do you plan to do that?" Kakashi taunted.

"I have a feeling that you can't predict what I'm going to do if you can't see me." Osanai replied with a grin. "So, try to beat me now." With that, he disappeared behind a building near him to hide from the Sharingan user.

"Interesting tactic." Kakashi mused. _And you might just be on to something._ _Too bad I won't let you think much longer. _

"Eat this!" Came a shout from behind the silver haired Jounin.

"Woah!" Kakashi spun around to see a random Waterfall-nin jump at him. He blocked the ninja's punch with his forearms and shoved him away. _That took too long, I don't know where the leader is now._

"Ninpou: Kage Katana!"

"Shit!" Kakashi turned to see the grinning form of Osanai. He could also see the swiftly-approaching blade, which sliced through his torso before he could do anything.

Or so it appeared. Kakashi disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and instead of a chopped-up ninja, there was a chopped-up piece of brick wall.

_That means he's behind me!_ Osanai smiled. _Perfect._

He heard Kakashi prepare his attack and chant his jutsu's name. "Ninpou: Kage Girochin"

The chakra formed above Osanai's head, he simply put his hands together to concentrate his defense. "Zettai Bougyo: Chakra Tama!" A round shield of chakra surrounded him, the invisible blades of Kakashi's attack impacted harmlessly into the shield. Osanai then prepared his counterattack. "Kage Katana!"

He swept his arm across the front of his body, emitting the blade in a semicircle in front of him. The Konoha Jounin jumped above the attack to avoid being sliced in half.

"Let's see just how absolute your shield really is." He frowned under his mask as he started his memorized chain of hand seals. _I hadn't expected to have to use this jutsu on him. I guess it's too late now._ "Raikiri!"

* * *

On the other side of the village, the part that was mostly untouched by the battle, it wasn't a talking fight. There was no room for words, and it didn't really matter because neither side could think of anything to say to the other. Neji and Lee continued to duck and dodge attacks from Naruto, surprised that the boy was able to keep up with both of them.

Neji dodged a punch and prepared for the next one. _I don't want to kill you, Naruto, but I will if I have to. Still, I hadn't expected you to be this skilled now. I'm impressed, but I know that once we've immobilized you, we won't have to worry about Hinata._

Little did he know, his younger cousin had decided to join the battle. With a fiery determination, she formed some hand seals to cast her own technique.

"Meimei Musha!" _It's time to impress Naruto-kun._

Neji had had enough of this by now, and decided to turn the fight around. "Hakkeshou: Kaiten!" He spun rapidly, emitting chakra to blow Naruto away. The roof was destroyed below him, so he jumped to another part before it collapsed completely.

He watched Naruto land on his feet, but something to the left caught his attention. It seemed Lee hadn't noticed his oncoming attacker. _Lee, I know she isn't very powerful, but you still shouldn't underestimate her._ "Lee! Look out!"

"Huh?" Lee looked toward Neji.

Neji was dumbfounded. _He doesn't see her? _Before he could shout another warning, another voice was heard.

"Jyuuken!" A burst of chakra exploded from a point near Lee's shoulder, knocking him off balance as the younger Hyuuga appeared from thin air in front of him. She continued her attack before he could position himself for a counterattack. Bursts of blue chakra exploded from her hands with each hit, knocking him around, almost playfully. Eventually, she pushed her palm toward his chest. He was launched backward and away from the building they were standing on.

In mid-flight, he looked back to the spot where he had stood moments before and saw the Hyuuga girl, a disbelieving look on her face. _Why couldn't I see her!_ He landed on the ground, twenty feet below, with a thud. He could tell now that he shouldn't move for a bit, as his right lung was damaged. Lee was effectively out of the fight.

Back on top of the Inn, Neji stared in unbelief at his cousin. _The reason I could see her was because I have Byakugan, but Lee doesn't. Who the hell did she train with!_

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

_This looks bad. I might actually have to inflict serious damage._ He thought sadly as the Naruto clones approached quickly. Once again, he was unable to distinguish the original from the fakes. _How does Sharingan have that ability while Byakugan doesn't?_

The black-clad blonde sent a clone from each side, each of them was dispatched at the same time by Jyuuken blows to their heads. Another pair of clones attacked from ahead and behind. They met similar fates as the previous ones. "Naruto, how many times do I have to tell you. These clones are useless against me."

"Oh really?" Came the confident reply. "Well then, I'll just have to fight you with the real one." With that, one of the Narutos stepped forward while the rest disappeared. He suddenly charged Neji, vanishing to the normal eye, but Neji could clearly see his movements.

As the blonde ninja neared, Neji prepared to counter. His right hand shot forward and blasted his chakra toward his opponent, who poofed out of existence before the attack even contacted. Neji staggered forward and fought to keep his balance, but he saw the blonde coming from behind him. _I won't be able to defend, why didn't I expect this? _He didn't notice until the last second, the swirling blue ball held in the boy's right hand. _What is that jutsu?_

As if an answer to Neji's unspoken question, Naruto shouted the name of his attack as he thrust it into Neji's back. "Rasengan!"

The spinning chakra immediately expanded to many times its previous size and picked Neji off his feet, thrusting him forward, spinning wildly, until he smashed into the brick wall of the building next door. The ball dissipated, revealing Neji's bare, scratched and beaten back. A few seconds liter, he fell to the ground, landing on his already pained back.

He looked to the right, where his teammate laid in a similar position on the ground. "Lee... we underestimated them."

"No, we weren't willing to hurt them." Lee weakly corrected with an odd smile. "They have a stronger will than we do."

"Naruto has a stronger will than anyone." Neji agreed. "But I still hadn't expected this."

A second later, the victors of the battle jumped to the ground next to the Konoha-nins. Hinata walked over to the green beast and kneeled next to him. "Pease don't take this personally, Lee-san. But I can't allow anyone to take us back."

Lee smiled at her. "I may not understand your reasons, but I understand your conviction. Still, as long as you stay away from Konoha, we are enemies. Next time we meet, Neji and I will not hold back."

Hinata sighed sadly. "I understand, Lee-san. But please... Let Naruto-kun and I stay away. He is in pain, I think. I... I want to..."

"Ahh, the fire that is love." Lee said as loudly as he could with the state of his lungs.

"I'm sorry, but I must do this." With that, Hinata pushed some chakra into his neck and he lost consciousness.

Her blonde companion wasn't quite so kind.

Naruto kneeled down next to Neji and saw that he was still conscious. "Oye, Neji. If you try to force us to come back, we'll just do this to you all over again."

With that, Neji's world went black as the blonde punched him in the face.

* * *

**-End of Chapter Ten-**

****

**TRANSLATIONS WITH EXPLANATIONS!**

**Original attack means that I made the specified attack up.**

Ninpou: Kage Girochin: Ninja Art: Shadow Guillotine. With this attack, the user's chakra concentrates near the opponent, it is difficult to notice. When it is activated, it will swiftly slice the target in half. Original attack.

Ninpou: Kage Katana: Ninja Art: Shadow Blade. (Kinda obvious, that one was.) Similar to Kage Girochin. This attack emits an invisible chakra blade, usually from the user's hands. Original attack.

Zettai Bougyo: Chakra Tama:Absolute Defense: Chakra Sphere. A nearly impenetrable ball of chakra surrounds the user, it becomes stronger with the amount of chakra pumped into it. Original Attack.

Meimei Musha: Invisible Warrior. The user becomes invisible to a normal person, but people with Dojutsu can clearly see him/her. Upon attacking a target, the user loses invisibility. Original Attack.

Kaiten: Divine Spin. A technique original to the Hyuuga clan. The body of a Hyuuga is slightly different than that of a normal person, they have generally better chakra control and can thrust hundreds of times as much chakra from their bodies than a normal person can. This technique takes advantage of both abilities while the user spins, creating a shield that will blow most conventional attacks away.

Kage Bunshin: Shadow Replication. The user makes clones of him/herself. Unlike normal Bunshin, these clones have a physical body. Unlike others like Mizu Bunshin these clones do not have to be within the user's field of vision.

Raikiri:Lightning Edge. Heavily concentrated chakra, the user's arm becomes an invincible knife, able to pierce any armor. The only known way to counter it is the Rasengan, but other ways may be possible.

Kawamiri: Replacement. The user immediately switches places with either an inanimate object or potentially another person. In order to use it to avoid damage however, the user must anticipate his opponent's attack and time it perfectly.

**Revised on 9/15/2011**


	11. Three Deadly Forces: Part 2

**-Three Deadly Forces: Part Two-**

* * *

The village had taken some serious damage, and the numbers of the wounded on both sides were growing at a reasonable pace. There wasn't an undamaged building to be seen, except for the far side of the village. The sounds of battle could be heard from even the deepest of the tunnels. But suddenly, all sound seemed to stop as the clashing soldiers stopped to watch what was happening between the two most powerful ninjas present.

The sound of battle faded into a dim murmur, then a deafening silence as the silver-haired Jounin charged his signature attack. The silence slowly transformed into the sound of a thousand birds, each singing a different song.

"Raikiri!"

_That jutsu, it's supposed to be able to break any defense!_ Osanai stared unblinkingly at Kakashi's outstretched hand. _It's too late now, I have to bet everything on this shield._

"Not a very wise decision." Kakashi said to his opponent, giving his most terrifying mismatched glare. "You may be the one in charge, but you are not experienced enough, you are still too young."

"I'll show you what I'm capable of!" Osanai blurted out as he started pumping more and more of his almost limitless chakra into the orb surrounding him. Between heavy breaths, he shouted in determination. "Just... just watch me! I won't let... my village be destroyed!"

The shield surrounding him, normally invisible to normal eyes, became opaque. The now glasslike sphere grew in density until one could just barely make out the features of the ninja inside. Even through the wall of chakra, anyone watching could see the leader's taunting, confident grin. "Let's see you get through this."

Kakashi's Sharingan rotated slowly, focusing on the huge amount of chakra in the shield. _Hmm, that's going to be a bit troublesome._ He sighed behind his mask, and his eyes rolled. _Looks like I can test my new jutsu._

"Hey, Hero of the Waterfall." Kakashi put his left hand on his hip – the one without the charged Chidori, leaned forward and flashed a dark glare. "You're tougher than you look. But then... You're still way out of my league."

Osanai's smug smirk faded at Kakashi's gesture. "What? You can't be serious!"

"Oh, I'm quite serious." Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he pulled a soldier pill from his pouch. _My chakra's too low to do this, but this pill should be able to boost it just enough to do this. It's risky, but my horoscope did say that today I would take a deadly risk and live to tell about it. _"You'll be the first to experience my newest jutsu." He spoke in a premeditated, dark tone as the Chidori slowly disappeared.

He swallowed the pill and waited a second before he could feel the newly-rejuvenated chakra flowing inside his body. "Now, watch."

He went through a new set of hand seals, all of the combatants from both villages watched in anticipation as he started charging the chakra in the same hand, in the same fashion as his famous move, Chidori. But this time, the sound of birds did not fill the air. The jagged lightning didn't reach outward from his hand.

This time, a new and unfamiliar noise replaces the silence. The humming noise of electricity as it oxidized the air that touched it, turning it into ozone. A low buzzing noise arose from where the arcs touched any objects. It was quieter than Chidori, but far more intimidating.

And in place of the thousands of jagged bolts of lightning, there were now relatively few – little more than a dozen – arcs of plasma that lanced out in all directions, scorching any object they touched with a buzz of electricity. This was his new move, a member of the Raikiri family, but it shared a class with very few others. This move was called...

"Ikazuchi Kizoku Naraku!"

Osanai stared at the plasma that waved in random directions from the central point, not twenty feet in front of him. One of the arcs lanced across his shield, making a noise that he could only describe as quiet thunder. It wasn't particularly loud, the intimidating sound echoed in the tense silence.

Kakashi stared at the boy inside the shield, not older than sixteen. His crimson left eye focused on his target. "In other circumstances, I would have refrained from killing you... But I don't have a choice."

The Jounin launched himself at the boy inside his shield, a sitting duck. The arcs of concentrated energy bent to follow his hand as he moved ever closer to the leader of Waterfall Village. "This is the end for you!"

* * *

"Naruto-kun... did we do the right thing?" Hinata asked, more to herself than to him.

"There was really no right thing we could have done in that situation." He sighed. "But we did our best. Now we'd better find a way to get these guys to somewhere where Konoha will pick them up and bring them home."

"We're going to let them go?"

"What other options do we have?" He asked, knowing the answer. "And besides that, would you really be able to let Neji die?"

Hinata sighed; he was right. But how would they get to the battle without being spotted?

Her thoughts were interrupted as she realized that the distant sounds of clashing blades and pained yelps had faded into silence.

Naruto noticed it as well. "What's going on? Is it already over?"

In answer to his question, the sound of thousands of birds filled the air. It was most definitely not over.

"What's that noise?" Hinata asked, half-afraid and half-curious.

"You don't know?" He said, a bit startled. "Sasuke used it during the third part of the Chuunin exam."

Hinata looked a bit ashamed. "...I passed out before your match was over."

"Oh." Naruto shrugged. "Well, that attack is called Chidori. It's Kakashi's special move, and it's as powerful as Rasengan. And not that wimpy Rasengan I used on Neji, either." Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. "Hey, grab Neji. We're going to see Kakashi."

Hinata did as asked, and wondered aloud what his idea was as they dashed closer to the fight. "Why are we going to do that? Won't he just try to bring us back, or worse, try to kill you. You're an S-class criminal now."

"Don't worry. He can't do any of that if he doesn't see us. Or rather, see you." He grinned deviously.

Hinata caught on quick. "But he has Sharingan. He'll be able to easily see me."

Naruto shook his head. "He's a copycat, And he's probably fighting Osanai." He said, but Hinata still looked confused. "Well, all of Osanai's attacks use tons of chakra. Even Kakashi will get worn out by them. That, combined with Sharingan and Chidori, will drain almost all of his chakra. He'll be forced to cover it up again before it drains any more. So you'll make yourself, me, Lee and Neji invisible. Can you manage that?"

Hinata seemed to think for a minute as they ran. "I think I can... but..." she blushed.

"But what?" He asked, completely confused by the reddish hue that covered her cheeks.

"Ano... it's nothing. I can do it." She smiled and blushed a bit more.

"Okay." Naruto nodded and slowed to a stop, Hinata stopping next to him.

They hid behind a building and peered around the edge, they couldn't make out what they were saying, but Naruto smiled when he saw the leader of waterfall pumping his chakra into his defense.

"Not even Chidori will be able to pierce that, and Kakashi looks tired. I think we might actually win this without using our secret weapon." He grinned. "Osanai may be weird and immature, but he's strong as hell. And he has a very strong desire to protect the village."

He watched a bit longer, but his smile faded into a confused frown when Kakashi's Chidori faded away. "Wait... What's going on? He's not moving..."

He watched the new set of hand seals, and his frown deepened. "A new jutsu? I've been gone a long time, so I suppose it's possible... but what could he have that's stronger than Chidori? I mean, he's just Kakashi."

Hinata's eyes widened a bit and she stared at the boy who had just said that. _JUST Kakashi?_

The Jounin's hand slowly became covered in a new energy, this one more curved and denser than the Chidori, but Naruto couldn't really tell just how powerful it was from so far away.

_Dammit, what is that?_

**Heh. **The demon inside him chuckled. **It's a new version of Raikiri. And by the looks of it, it's much more powerful. Powerful enough to easily break that boy's little shield.**

"That's not good." Naruto said aloud. "We have to stop him."

**I wouldn't. You don't want Konoha to know you're here. They'll find out soon, but you don't want to give yourself away in the middle of the fight.**

_How will they find out?_

**That Rasengan leaves a pretty unusual bruise. And only you and Jiraiya are able to use it, Kakashi will recognize the pattern without a second glance, it was invented by his sensei after all.**

_Dammit!_

**Oye, Baka Naruto. You've got bigger problems.** The Kyuubi said with an imaginary smirk as he tugged Naruto's attention backward.

Naruto felt a lump form in his throat. He dropped Lee and spun around in just a fraction of a second, but it felt to him like ten seconds. _It can't be!_

But it was. "A-Akatsuki!"

The shark-man grinned devilishly. "Naruto-kun, aren't you going to introduce us to your little friend?"

Hinata turned around and looked at the man who had spoken. "Wh-Who are you?"

"Hinata, that's some unimportant guy named Kisame." Naruto returned Kisame's grin, but his smile quickly reverted back to an angry frown. "The one you need to worry about is Itachi."

"Unimportant?" Kisame flared. "I really should have cut your arms and legs off four years ago!"

Naruto ignored him and continued his explanation. "They've been trying to kidnap me for a few years now."

Hinata just now realized the name that he had said a moment ago, as adrenaline started pumping in her body again. "Itachi?" She pulled her gaze off the blue-skinned man and looked at the face of the other one. It was hidden under a wide hat, but she could make out one important detail. Crimson eyes, with three marks in each iris.

"Uchiha Itachi..." She stepped back unconsciously, thinking of all the stories she'd heard about him: The man who slaughtered the entire noble Uchiha family at the age of only thirteen. His own family.

Naruto stepped in front of her and glared into the Sharingan eyes. "You want a fight? Well you've got one."

"C-can we really fight them?" Hinata whispered from behind.

Naruto frowned and whispered back. "You've gotten strong, but a fight of this level needs more than that. I'm more experienced than you, so I'll handle them. You get away from here as fast as you can."

"Now, Naruto-kun. Don't jump to conclusions." Itachi said calmly. "We're not here to fight. Just to relay a message from the Akatsuki: With each step you take, our goals will be one step closer to achievement. Nothing will stop us from unleashing the power you hold."

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled. "That's nonsense, it's completely under control."

**Oh am I? **The demon laughed, almost entertained. **Do you really think so?**

* * *

During the confrontation with Akatsuki, the other battle was drawing to a close as Kakashi leapt into the air. He disappeared from the ground in a flash of speed, then reappeared directly above the young Hero. The arcs from his hand made wavy lines following the path he had taken from the ground to his current position, drawing several twisting paths up to his hand. Within a second, they re-centered on his hand as he began his descent.

"Take this!" The Jounin yelled as he pushed his arm forward, pointing it at the bubble of nearly-impenetrable chakra surrounding his opponent. The buzzing noise of the attack seemed to draw out in Osanai's mind as life moved again in slow motion.

_Am I going to die here? After only a month..._

The Jounin's hand finally smashed into the bubble, sending ripples over the entire surface from the impact, and loud electrical noises filled the air. "Jinrai!"

With the loudest thunderclap that Osanai had ever heard, his shield cracked into a thousand shards, and with an explosive burst of chakra it blew apart. A tempest blew over the entire village, blowing down buildings and people alike. Kakashi was picked up and thrown by the gust, before his attack could reach its target.

_Did he plan this? _Kakashi thought with a startled expression as he flew through the air, but he could still feel the emotions from his opponent, which told him that this was not planned.

Unknown to anyone else, Osanai was just as surprised as everyone. _What just happened? My shield exploded!_

Kakashi landed on his feet and, looking at his right arm, calculated his odds now. _I still have some chakra left from that attack, I can probably use it for Raikiri. But what if he has another trick up his sleeve?_ He looked back over at the young boy he was fighting. His Sharingan focused on the boy and he could tell that he could only have one more chance, because his Sharingan showed that the boy was still overflowing with chakra. _How can he have so much chakra? Even after that massive defense, he still has more than I do on a good day._

Kakashi quickly used the already-molded chakra to create the old-fashioned Chidori. _This is my last chance._

The teen watched Kakashi prepare his last move and smirked. _I've tired him out, this fight is over._ The boy simply focused some chakra in his hand, his first true mistake in the whole fight. "Ninpou."

Kakashi dashed forward. _Is he really so inexperienced? He's using that technique again._

"Kage Katana!" He made the same sweeping gesture with his arm, and the invisible blade once again expanded in a semicircle in front of him, but this time Kakashi just ran straight on at it. This was when Osanai realized something was wrong. _What?_

Kakashi thrust his hand into the edge of the blade, easily shattering it as he continued toward the now defenseless Osanai. "Raikiri!"

The sound of ripping flesh resounded through the entire village, the Hero of Waterfall was defeated.

"You could have beaten me, if you had chosen your attacks more carefully." Kakashi said, his voice shaking from exhaustion. "But you won't live more than a few minutes." He pulled his arm out of the boy's gut and watched him fall to his knees.

"I..." he gasped, a look of sheer horror on his face. "lost..."

"You almost won." Kakashi said as he pulled down the headband urgently. _I'm about to pass out. I can't leave Sharingan open like this._

Osanai smiled ironically. "My dad always said... 'Life sucks, then you die'."

"But before you die, please tell me how you have so much chakra." Kakashi kneeled in front of the boy, hiding the fact that it was more out of lack of energy to remain standing than anything else.

"It was the Hero Water. One of our village's many secrets. Even if I die, your attack will fail." With that, his eyes glazed over and he fell forward onto the ground.

"Secrets?" Kakashi mused. "I should warn Shikamaru."

As he stood, he felt the ground shake violently and heard a loud noise from behind. "What's this?" He spun around, attempting to put up a reasonable defense. But he didn't see another ninja, instead there was a giant boulder. He looked up to see that the artificial sky had faded away and the domed rock ceiling could be seen. But what was truly strange was that it seemed to be falling, piece-by-piece. "Shit!"

"What are you going to do now?" Naruto challenged Itachi. But before he could get an answer, a boulder fell from the ceiling in between the two groups. Naruto couldn't see his enemy anymore.

Itachi stared at the giant rock for a moment, then turned around and started to walk away. "It's too much trouble to do any more, we did what was ordered. It's time to leave before this gets more complicated."

A panicked Waterfall-nin happened to run by and froze on sight of them. Itachi glared at him, but the ninja seemed to smile in some sort of relief as he saw Itachi's headband. "You've run away from Konoha. You must be one of Naruto-san's associates."

Itachi and Kisame exchanged a quick glance, then Itachi replied to the ninja. "We've been following him around for several years now." He said, speaking a half-truth. They had indeed been following him for many years.

"Alright, there's safety over this way." The ninja said and ran off. "The Great Tree!"

Itachi and Kisame decided to follow, it was better than getting crushed while trying to escape the village.

Back on the other side of the boulder, Naruto and Hinata stared at it for a second, then Naruto looked up and realized what was happening. "OH DAMN!" He screamed. "Let's go! We have to get these two back to Konoha. Don't bother with the invisibility."

"Right!" Hinata replied and picked up Neji again. They dashed toward where Kakashi had been and saw Osanai laying on the ground, bleeding from his gut. "He lost." Hinata murmured.

"We'll take him back to the Tree, but let's get these two to some place where they'll be picked up." He said, and saw several Konoha-nins running toward one of the tunnels they had dug. "Let's just toss them over that way!" He grinned and threw Lee toward the ninjas, about fifty feet.

Lee landed smack on top of one of the fleeing ninjas. "Who the...? Lee-san? But if Lee's here, where's Neji!" His question was answered by Neji flying above him and landing on another ninja. "Oh, damn let's get these guys to safety. They're way too valuable to lose here."

Naruto watched the ninjas carry the two away. "Okay, now let's get Osanai." He jumped over to where the younger ninja lay unmoving on the ground. Another boulder fell and landed dangerously close to them. "Come on, there's a safe place near the center of the village." He said as he picked up Osanai and hoped he was only unconscious, ignoring the blood that spilled on his clothes.

"Right!"

The pair ran at full speed toward the center of the village, where stood a single giant tree. Under the tree, every survivor from the village was assembled under its branches. Some were complaining about destroyed property, others were hugging their loved ones and crying in relief that they were okay.

"What is this?" Hinata gasped as she looked up at the tree, it almost seemed to glow, and it cast light over the area around it. Being under it made her feel safe, even with a mountain collapsing around her.

* * *

"What happened?" The silver-haired Jounin asked the his usually lazy partner. "Did you execute the plan or did something go wrong?"

"I didn't execute the plan, but I suspect that the cause for this was that explosion that happened just before the collapse started." Shikamaru sighed. "Although it's troublesome, at least we know that the village was destroyed."

"Oh... sorry about that explosion. I didn't know that it would happen." Kakashi scratched his head. "It wasn't my fault."

Shikamaru's eyebrow twitched a few times. "You're even more troublesome that Ino." He glared at Kakashi, then turned to the medic. "How are Neji and Lee doing?"

"They're both in stable condition. Whoever fought them must have tried to escape from the falling boulders in a hurry and didn't have time to finish the job."

"Lee and Neji were beaten?" Kakashi asked with more than a little surprise in his voice.

"Yes, Kakashi-san. They're over here." The medic led him to the field hospital they had set up, where Lee and Neji were sitting up in their beds. "Lee-san suffered from an injury to his right lung, and Neji was just beaten by sheer force it looks like. See the bruises on his back?"

Kakashi looked at the boy's back and his visible eye widened in shock. _That looks much too familiar._ "Neji, Lee."

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei?" Neji replied quietly.

Kakashi looked into the Hyuuga's white eyes. All the answers were there. "It's nothing, never mind." He walked away slowly, his head hung low. _Those two were even able to beat Neji and Lee. And it seems Hinata is no longer the same as she used to be. _He sighed. _I can only hope that they know what they're doing, whatever that may be. But as for me, I will continue to serve Konoha. I have a feeling that soon the village will need me more than ever._

_But for now... I'll trust Naruto._

"Neji... should we say anything?"

"No, there's no point." Neji said calmly, then dropped his head. "He already knows."

* * *

**-End of Chapter Eleven-**

Ikazuchi Kizoku Naraku:Well, this translation is kind of weird. But roughly translated, it means "Hell's Thunder". This is basically a much more powerful version of Chidori; more focused, more concentrated, and more power on top of that. Due to the high concentration of chakra, it no longer lances out in bolds of lightning, but now is shaped like curved arcs of plasma (You've seen a plasma ball, right? Like, if you put your hand on the glass the plasma goes to your hand). There's really not much to explain other than it's not easy for Kakashi to use, since it's a new jutsu that he doesn't have much practice with.

Jinrai: It means Thunderclap. That's Kakashi's nickname for Hell's Thunder. (Like how he called Chidori 'Raikiri') He calls it that for obvious reasons.

**Revised on 9/5/2011**


	12. Powers of the Great Tree

**-Chapter 12: Powers of the Great Tree-**

* * *

"What is this place, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked in awe. "It feels different than anywhere else I've ever been." She gazed around her. They were under the branches of a tree larger than she had ever imagined. She couldn't even begin to measure the width of its trunk, but it must have been almost a hundred feet thick.

"That's not something I can answer." Naruto said. "Ask Osanai when you're done with that wound in his stomach."

"Huh?" Hinata looked confused. "That's more than I can handle, we would need Tsunade-sama or Shuuzen-sensei. I'm not that good yet."

Naruto smiled. "Don't worry, I believe in you. And what's more, being in this place will make it work better. Ask him to explain that one too. I'm going to look around, it's a pretty big area. Hopefully I'll be able to find someone to help you out."

"R-right." Hinata nodded. "I'll take him over there." She said as she pointed at the base of the tree's trunk.

Naruto nodded and ran off, something didn't feel right and he was going to find out what it was before something bad happened. _Any advice?_

**You're talking to me?**

_You know when I'm talking to you. Now tell me what this feeling is._

Kyuubi hesitated before answering. **I'll let you figure it out yourself. **He said, then pulled his own thoughts away from the blonde again. **_How can he feel them? That's something he shouldn't be able to do without me allowing it..._**

"Naruto-san!" Someone called. "We would like to speak with you."

"What?" Naruto turned toward the voice, an Elder of the village. "What do you need?"

"Well, you know that we Elders are aware of your... gift." He said, choosing his words carefully.

Not carefully enough, though. "It's anything but that." Naruto half-growled. "What's it got to do with this?"

"A trait such as what you have is like a finely-crafted weapon; destructive and elegant. But why did you not do so much as unsheathe it during the battle?"

"Elegant?" Naruto asked. "How cold you call such a thing elegant?"

"That does not matter. Please answer my question."

Naruto almost scoffed at the man's boldness. But he always believed that the best way to counter bold words is with bold words of your own. Unfortunately, he didn't really have anything especially rude to say. "I do not belong to Waterfall village. Don't expect me to use something so extreme for such an insignificant reason."

"Insignificant?" The Elder nearly lost his composure. "If you had used it, hundreds of lives could have been spared! It does not matter what village they belonged to!"

"At the cost of hundreds more." Naruto countered. "As you said, it does not matter what village they belonged to. A human life is not something to destroy without good reason."

**How noble of you.**

The village Elder couldn't say any more, he knew there was no getting through to the boy, and the past was set in stone. When Naruto felt that the conversation was over, he continued on his search for whatever the hell was giving him that creepy feeling.

* * *

Outside, two ninjas of Konoha stood on a cliff, wondering what had gone wrong. They weren't worried about the results of the battle, particularly. But they were wondering why the mountains still stood. With the collapse going on inside, the mountain range should have been affected, but there was not a single visible difference.

"Kakashi-san, is it possible that they stopped the collapse?" Shikamaru asked the more experienced ninja. "It may seem improbable, but as the leader of this attack I must consider all possibilities."

"Hmm..." Kakashi mused. "I supposed it's possible. There's only one way to find out for sure."

"You mean Neji?" Shikamaru grinned. "Good idea, is he able to do it?"

"He'll need an escort into the mountain, just in case. But I think it's a foolproof plan."

Shikamaru nodded in agreement. "Nothing escapes his eyes."

The two ninjas quickly made their way back to the camp, where Neji was able to walk freely, but Lee's internal injuries were too complicated for their field medics. It would be too risky for him to exert himself much until he was able to see Sakura, Konoha's master medic.

"Neji, we need one more thing from you. Shikamaru is arranging an escort to take you back into the mountain." Kakashi told him after making one of his mysterious appearances. "Do you have enough chakra for your Byakugan?"

"I have plenty of chakra." Neji said. "I didn't really use much in the fight."

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "You – of all people – should know what happens when you underestimate that person. After all, you made the same mistake once before."

"I didn't underestimate him." Neji said coolly. "I wasn't willing to kill him until it was too late."

"Oh, another famous mistake. I guess Gai-sensei didn't teach you the value of killer intent. That was the first lesson I taught to my Team Seven, during the teamwork test." Kakashi gloated. "But that's unimportant now, we need you to confirm the destruction of the Waterfall Village."

Neji sighed. "If it was destroyed..."

"Neji, you know that a mountain falling on him... actually, never mind. That might be the only thing that can kill him." Kakashi laughed gently at Neji's expression. It was a mix of anger and annoyance. "I'm sure that if anyone survived, it was those two."

"Oi, Neji. I know it's troublesome in your condition but we need you to go back in there one more time. I've got your escort all set up."

Neji looked around. "Where is my escort?"

"You're looking at them." Shikamaru sighed. "It was too troublesome, all of the high-level members of the attack party are either injured or busy. So I arranged for myself, Kakashi and Shino to accompany you."

"Sorry I'm late." Came the deep, unemotional voice. "I was checking on Lee."

"Okay, that's everyone. Let's go, and make it quick because I want to get home. If I'm too late then Ino will interrogate me until I divulge every classified fact about this mission."

"That's what you get for hooking up with the daughter of a police psychiatrist." Kakashi teased. "But wait, I don't have enough chakra to be useful to you! Why'd you arrange for me?"

"You're the famous Kakashi, the one who killed their leader. If anyone _is_ alive in there, they'll flee in fear. That should give us time to get out."

"Either that, or you just want to get me back for triggering the collapse." Kakashi moaned.

"Yeah, or that. And now it's also to get back at you for that crack you made about hooking up with Ino, who - by the way - I did _not_ 'hook up' with."

"For someone with such a big brain, you sure are stupid." Kakashi teased.

_You're all stupid. _Neji thought as a sweat drop formed on his forehead.

* * *

**I think you found out what was giving you that weird feeling. **Kyuubi laughed.

_No shit. _Naruto shot back. _If you're not going to help me, then go sulk in the corner of your cage._

**Brat.**

"Naruto-kun. I see that you weren't expecting to see us here." Itachi smiled behind the collar of his robe. "I'm afraid that we were mistaken as your cohorts and taken here."

"Where's the girl?" Kisame asked.

"Don't bother with her, Kisame." Itachi commanded. "I believe it's best that we leave them alive for now. In fact, today's events could be very helpful to the Akatsuki, couldn't they Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah, I'm sure a massive war between the Shinobi Nations would be just what you guys would want. The other Jinchuuriki will be deployed by their villages, making it easier for you to snag them. Sounds like the Akatsuki is going to have a great time in the next few months, if not years."

Itachi's eyes showed a hint of what could only be described as reluctant pride. "You are exactly right, Naruto-kun. But you do know that you are the only one we are interested in."

"Yeah, that's why you're letting me live, because the Shiki Fuuin can't be broken by your techniques. You think that the Kyuubi will break out on its own."

Itachi's face changed again, this time he looked surprised. "Who told you that?"

"I was just guessing." Naruto grinned. "But I guess it makes sense, doesn't it? But I still don't understand a few things. Like why you're just letting me walk free, and why you won't even attack me."

"If you die, the Kyuubi dies with you. It's as simple as that. And the reason we allow your freedom, I've already told you that." Itachi sighed. "You are annoying. Kisame's idea becomes more appealing with every word you say." _That had better shut him up._ He turned and started walking toward the edge of the protective field generated by the tree, where there was nothing but stone walls from the collapse.

"Come Kisame, we're going to get out of he- wait!" _Damn, today is full of surprises! _He thought, not sure if he should be thankful that his Sharingan was activated. After a millisecond, he decided to be thankful as he realized what he saw was. _Someone is molding chakra, and it's Byakugan! _"Never mind, we'll be staying here a bit longer. Mangekyou Sharingan!"

Naruto watched, wide-eyed, as the world around him turned into a monotone of black and red. "N-no! You're not supposed to do anything to me!"

"Itachi..." Kisame looked around, a bewildered look on his face. "Why did you take me to this place? Why did you take _everyone_ to this place?"

Naruto looked around to see that Kisame was right. There was indeed everyone there. Everyone that had been assembled under the tree, but no more. Apparently there were no survivors outside of its protection. The only thing missing was the tree. "What is this?"

"I will answer no questions." Itachi said.

"Why are you doing this!" Naruto yelled.

"Damn brat." He muttered. "That does not concern you."

* * *

"Do you see anything Neji?" Shikamaru asked.

"No, I don't sense any human aura. Everyone is dead." Neji reported as he shut down his bloodline. "There is a large tree, but it isn't anything that would interfere with my eyes."

"Good, then the mission was a complete success." Shikamaru said, neither a smile nor a frown on his face. "Let's return to Konoha. There's nothing left for us. My orders were to attack and destroy the village, Hokage-sama specifically told me to do nothing more."

"Shikamaru, shouldn't we find out why the mountain is still standing?" Shino asked.

"Shino is right." Neji said. "The whole mountain should have disappeared, but the only difference is that it's hollower than it was before. Nothing's changed on the outside."

"That doesn't matter." Shikamaru sighed. "I just want to get away from this troublesome place." He started to lead the group back out into the open air, but Kakashi stayed behind for a moment longer.

_It definitely is curious. I wonder what could have caused this._ He thought, then shrugged. _I guess it doesn't really matter. What's done is done._ He then proceeded to catch up with the rest of his team and get the hell back to Konoha. He was ready for a nice, long reading session. It had been a while since he'd been worked so hard.

When they reached the fresh air, they all took a deep breath. "I hadn't noticed just how dusty it was in there." Shikamaru said. "This air is refreshing."

"I'm going to check on Lee." Neji told the others. "See you guys later." He said, then started toward the field hospital where Lee would certainly want to know what he had seen. But that was the problem, he hadn't seen _anything._ There should have been at least a survivor or two, even if they would never make it to see the light of day. It was as if they had all been sucked into another dimension.

"Neji, what did you see?" Lee asked impatiently. "Are they okay?"

"I didn't see anything. Nobody survived." He sighed. "As unlikely as it seems, that's what it is. Byakugan doesn't lie."

Lee's happy attitude faded a little. "So that's it then? Do you think they're still out there somewhere?"

"I don't know." Neji shook his head. "I don't even know what to hope for. They truly are enemies of Konoha. Even Hinata was willing to fight us."

"So that's how it is, huh?"

"Yes, Lee. That's how it is."

* * *

The red and black universe faded away, revealing that they were all still in the normal world. The wounded were still wounded. The only noticeable difference was that Itachi's eyes had faded to black.

"Kisame, get us out of here." He said urgently. "Now."

"Y-Yes, Itachi." Kisame said. _Itachi's never had to hold so many people in that place before. I still don't understand why he did that though. _He surveyed the stone wall before him. "This should be quick work for my Samehada." He then proceeded to hack at the boulders with his wrapped sword.

"Kisame, just unwrap it." Itachi sighed. "We're in a hurry."

"Fine." Kisame unwrapped the sword, exposing the unusual blade. He took a swing at one of the boulders and smashed through it, obliterating it in a single swing. Soon enough, he had made a tunnel long enough to get out. When he turned around, only Itachi was there, the blonde was nowhere to be seen. "Where's the brat go?"

"That's not important." Itachi said as he pulled himself through the tunnel.

When they were finally out, Itachi collapsed onto the ground. "That took a lot of chakra. But I don't understand why I was even able to do that, I've never brought more than a few people into that world, but just now, I transferred thousands."

* * *

Back at the tree trunk, Osanai was conscious, but Hinata was still working on him. It's good to keep someone conscious when they're injured, that way you know they're not going to die on you.

"So, you don't like me?" Osanai asked as she closed up one of the last blood vessels. "Ehh, life goes on. I'm just glad you were willing to help me after what I said last night."

Hinata blinked. "Umm... don't mention it. You didn't offend me or anything, I've been offended by people much more rude than you."

"So I'm rude?" he asked with a smirk. "Gee, thanks."

"You have a high pain tolerance." Hinata said, ignoring his joke. "That's good, this is a painful process. But when we get out of here, we'll need to do a more thorough operation, one that I won't be able to perform. I'm actually surprised that I'm able to do this."

"Yeah, the tree is helping you." He said with a big smile. "It will enhance the abilities of anyone that intends to help Waterfall village. It's making your healing technique stronger, faster and more precise. Or at least, I'm willing to bet that it is."

"How is that possible?" Hinata asked, having just finished the patch job. Now all she could do was talk to him and keep him awake.

"Some say that it's a demon tree, others say that it was a gift from God. Some say it _is_ God. To me, I think of it more as a guardian, like I am. It has a strange power, it's chakra, but not normal chakra so you can't detect it with normal methods. In fact, I'll bet your fancy eyes couldn't even see anything weird. But it also protected us from the falling rocks, it will help us rebuild the village, it will help us regrow our crops. It will bring the wildlife back into the village. It also creates the illusion of a sky and somehow creates light that is almost exactly like daylight. The only thing missing from the illusion is sun and moon."

"That's amazing." Hinata said in awe. "How long has it been here?"

"Nobody knows." He chuckled. "It fact, nobody even knows when this village was founded. The elders claim that it's older than the five great villages of the outside world all put together. But we are secluded, and our ninja lifestyle is different than that of other villages."

"How is that?"

"Well, the only way a Genin is even allowed out of the village is for the Chuunin exams. After they become a Chuunin, they must wait for a mission. Before I became Hero, the Jounins would go to cities and seek out missions for out Chuunins to undertake. But now that I've opened the border, some missions come to us. We're cheaper than most other villages, but not as experienced."

"How do they get in?" Hinata asked. "The waterfall puzzle..."

"Oh, you guys could have just knocked. There's a stairway set into the cliff walls behind the waterfall, we can divert its flow to make it safe to traverse."

Hinata sweat-dropped. "How would we knock?"

"Well, usually we monitor the area near the falls, within that little valley there. I guess our guards were sleeping or something because just being there should be enough notice for us to send someone out to greet you."

Osanai paused, then smiled and continued speaking. "We'll have the village rebuilt within a month or two. The tree will dig the tunnels using its roots. and it will provide us with wood to build our homes again, by growing smaller, normal trees."

"That's amazing." She said as she sat next to him.

"Yeah." He grinned. "And I'm the guy in charge of it all." He laughed. "So, you like Naruto?"

"Umm..." She blushed. "Yes, how did you know?"

"Uh..." He sweat-dropped. "You followed him when he ran away from your village, you went through ten months of training for him, you travel with him, he's probably the only boy you've really been in contact with for almost a year, other than me. That makes it kind of obvious."

"Oh."

"So, does he know?" He grinned.

"No... I told him once but he didn't believe me. He told me that I don't really know who he is..."

Osanai's voice became serious. "Do you know who he really is?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused. "Of course I do. He is Naruto-kun, he grew up with no parents and everyone disliked him. He played practical jokes to get others' attention. He always dreamed of becoming Hokage. Even while he always smiled, there was always an underlying sadness. Even when he acted carefree, he was always trying to get better, stronger..."

Osanai smiled again. "Looks like he was mostly wrong then. But I have a few corrections. The village didn't dislike him, they hated him. There wasn't sadness under the smiles, there was pain. He wasn't trying to get better, he was forcing himself beyond his own limits. But whenever a time came when he really should be serious, he would just act like an idiot and screw up."

"They hated him..." Hinata looked at her lap. "Why would he do that though?"

"Do what? Screw up on purpose? That way he couldn't truly fail at anything. He would tell himself that the only reason he lost is because he did it on purpose. If one tries to fail and does, then it's not really failure is it?"

"How do you know all that about him?" She asked.

"Because he trained in our village a few years ago. I was his training partner. His sensei, Jiraiya-sama, told me about his past. He told me that in order to get the best out of him, I would have to pull it out carefully. But whenever I could actually get him to try to fight, I got my ass kicked every time. When he wouldn't go all out, it was a piece of cake for me. My dad was a wiseman. Sort of a mix between a philosopher and a psychologist, so he knew exactly what was going on in Naruto's head."

Hinata stayed silent for a few minutes before speaking up. "Would you please tell me... what he meant. What do I not know about him? Why did they all hate him?"

"Hinata... This is something that he has kept secret from all of his friends and teammates for his whole life, and it's so important that it's a crime to even talk about it in Konoha. It's Konoha's darkest secret... his deepest secret, something he was cursed with on the day of his birth. It's not my place to tell you. But I can say this... If he ever tells you, it means that he cares about you more than anyone else. He has never told _anyone_."

"But the village knows?"

"They were all there when it happened." He explained. "Like I said, it's something that happened to him after he was born, and the entire village was there to watch."

"Should I ask him about it?"

"Probably not." He shrugged. "It's something very personal, he doesn't even know that I know about it."

"Earlier... Uchiha Itachi was here." She said slowly. "He said something... I don't understand."

"Uchiha Itachi!" Osanai said, shocked. "In Waterfall village?"

"He was here to give a message to Naruto-kun... He said that they are getting closer to their goal, and that a power would be unleashed... or something like that."

"That's not a good thing. When Itachi's mission is complete, it could mean the end of the Shinobi Nations, possibly the whole world."

"Why does everyone know more than I do?" She asked as she hung her head lower. "I'm the one that's supposed to be his partner. Partnered Shinobi aren't supposed to keep secrets."

"I think that when you find out what it is, you will understand why he was keeping it from you."

"Is it something that should be kept from me?"

"No, the sooner he tells you, the better. It's something much bigger than you or me, but it's important that he tells someone. Now that he no longer lives in Konoha where everyone knows about it, or travels with Jiraiya who he can talk to about it, he will only hide it. That's unhealthy."

They heard the noise of grass under someone's feet. Hinata turned around to see the blonde standing near them. "N-Naruto-kun!"

"Osanai." He glared at the younger teen. "How did you find out about that?"

"That doesn't matter." Osanai stared back at Naruto. "Did you ever plan on telling her about it? If she's going to be traveling with you then she deserves to know why you're so well-known outside of Konoha. She should know the danger that being near you entails."

"What danger?" He shot back. "It's not going to hurt anyone unless I want it to."

"That's not what I was talking about!" Osanai yelled. "I meant people that would be attacking you guys, like Itachi. You know as well as I do that there are many people who want to get you, she should know why. So tell me, did you ever think to tell her?"

Naruto's expression was unreadable. "I thought about it. But I decided against it."

"You really thought about it?" The Waterfall leader's eyes widened. "What made you decide not to?"

"It's complicated..." He sighed. "Just drop it."

"Fine..." Osanai

6sighed, then whispered at Hinata. "What I just did, that's what you're not supposed to do. I just lost my cool."

"Oye, Hinata." Naruto said to get her attention. "A war is about to begin, I don't want to have to sit and watch while the villages destroy each other."

"What are you going to do?" She asked.

"Well, I was talking to Itachi and Kisame a few minutes ago, and I had this great idea." He smiled. "You know about Akatsuki right? Well, I was thinking that we rip off their idea, only we'll be the good guys!"

* * *

The next day, much of the debris had been cleared and the village gates had been repaired. Hinata was helping heal the wounded and keeping an eye on Osanai's wounds, Naruto was going on a mission.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Naruto?" Osanai sighed. "If you get caught, there won't be anyone to help bail you out, you really should take Hinata with you."

"You need her more than I do. You're missing half of your colon." Naruto laughed. "Besides, I'm not going anywhere dangerous. Just to a little town in Tea Country."

"My stomach." Osanai corrected. "I can digest things, but not eat them. And I still think it's a bad idea."

"Well, there's a small chance that my mission won't be much of a success if I take her." The blonde scratched the back of his head. "There's a clan that owes me a favor because I helped save a girl from their family. I was thinking I could at least get her to help us, but you know how girls are."

"Oh, so you're thinking someone will get jealous." Osanai understood now. "Well, in that case I'd come with you, but my stomach." He shrugged. "I just want to know how she plans on _fixing _me."

"Not my problem." The blonde grinned. "See you in a few days."

Osanai turned and walked back into the village, meeting the dark-haired girl at the gates. "He'll be fine." Osanai assured her. "He's stupid, but he's got a real unique style of fighting, it's not easily countered."

"That's not what bothers me..." Hinata sighed. "What bothers me is where he's going."

"What do you mean?" Osanai asked, confused.

"Before we left Konoha, there were reports of activity in what used to be Orochimaru's lair in Tea Country. It's just outside of the village he's going to." She explained.

"So? He can defend himself against some Sound ninjas." Osanai shrugged. "What's the problem."

Hinata hesitated. "Maybe it's my turn to tell you a few things you don't know about him."

"What do you mean? Does he have some sort of grudge against Sound? I mean, other than their attempt at destroying Konoha a few years ago?"

"Yes..." She stopped. "We should go inside."

"Right."

* * *

"So, what's the history behind him and Sound?"

"A few years ago, he was on a Genin team with Uchiha Sasuke."

"Yeah, I already knew that."

"Well, from what I understand, Sasuke ran away from Konoha three years before we did."

"Okay..." _Nothing new here..._

"A team was sent to intercept him, but they ran into Sound's strongest team of Jounin, all of them but Naruto-kun got caught up in the fight. He went on and he was forced to fight Sasuke. He lost the fight and Sasuke went to Sound to work with Orochimaru, but I don't know why."

"Yeah..." Osanai looked only slightly more interested. "That was one hell of a big fight. We could feel it from here."

"Well, Sasuke came back the day before we left."

"What?"

"And he killed the person that raised Naruto-kun. That's part of why he left, for revenge."

"What's the other part?" Osanai asked after a moment.

"I don't know..." She sighed sadly. "I know there's something... I can feel it in my heart, but I don't know what it is."

"So he's close to a place where Sasuke might be..." Osanai understood what her trouble was now. "And he's a reckless person... I knew we should have sent someone with him."

* * *

**-End of Chapter Twelve-**

**Revised on 9/5/2011  
**


	13. Gone

**-Gone-**

* * *

After a few days, the village of Waterfall was recovering remarkably fast. Almost all of the wounded were in stable condition, and every morning, a small forest had grown overnight, providing wood to build homes with. The ground was still littered with boulders, but a few areas were cleared and under construction.

Hinata decided that the only real problem was that if Osanai was left in his condition much longer, he'd starve to death. After all, one can't eat if their stomach isn't in good enough condition to handle it and they didn't have the equipment to feed him through his blood. She'd even had to shut down the glands that produce the digestion acids so that it wouldn't damage itself even more. So she'd have to go and do something about it.

"Um... Where are you going?" Osanai asked the girl with a puzzled expression on his face. "You're not going after Naruto are you? You don't even know where he's going."

"No." She shook her head. "You need surgery that I'm not skilled enough to perform. I'm going to find my sensei, Shuuzen-san. She should be able to fix you easily enough."

"I'll send someone with you." He replied. "Since Naruto isn't around."

"I'll be fine, she lives just within Fire country, near the border to Rain Country. It's only a day's walk to get there."

"Alright, but be careful. And don't do anything Naruto would do." He said with a grin.

Hinata laughed lightly. That was good advice. "I won't."

* * *

Naruto had been on his way to Tea Country for a few days now. Normally, it would only take a day or two to get there, but he was avoiding Fire Country and staying just outside the border. He would have to go more than a third of the way around Fire Country this way, but he decided it was best.

_Hey, demon fox._ The blonde thought toward his demon.

**What do you want?**

_I was wondering, what was that weird feeling I had after the mountain caved in on us?_

**You moron. You felt the presence of Itachi and Kisame. It's different than sensing their killer intent, but only slightly.**

_What the hell are you talking about?_ Naruto asked, completely confused._ They didn't say anything about sensing presences in the Academy... but then, I didn't pay attention in the Academy..._

**It's something that humans can't sense. You have to have a demon's senses in order to feel it.**

_Huh?_

**Like I said, humans can sense chakra and killer intent. And they can also use their five basic senses, but this is an entirely different sense.**

_Like, a sixth sense?_

**Not a sixth, really. We don't number our senses like you humans do, it's just a waste of effort, but we have several more senses than you would expect. I assume I should tell you why you were able to use my sense of presence.**

_Yeah, that sounds like a good idea._

**Lately, you have been more capable of accessing my powers, other than my chakra and healing powers. That is one of them. There are more as well, you see, five of my tails have the power of one element infused with it.**

_Huh?_

**Don't interrupt, brat! **Kyuubi roared. **I'm explaining! Okay, the first and simplest is the power of fire. The second is water, third is wind, fourth is earth and the last is thunder, in order of difficulty.**

_But you have nine tails... _Naruto sighed. _Aren't you forgetting like, four of them?_

**No, those are the basic elements, the five elements that make up your world. After those elements are other powers, in your world their existence is complex, but in mine there are two more elements: Darkness and light. You won't find them very useful in this world though.**

_Huh? You come from a different world?_

**Of course, how do you think I was able to disappear for millennia at a time?**

_Oh. But there are still two more._

**Yes, those two are even more complicated than dark and light. Their mere existence in any physical form is questionable. They are hatred and love.**

_Love? HA! That's funny! A giant evil demon, love!_

**I don't use that one much...**

_Ever._

**Fine, I've never used it. I _don't_ 'love'.**

_Okay, so why are you telling me this?_

**Because if you have powers, you might as well know about them. Besides, you've even used four of them against Sasuke. Fire, water, wind and hatred.**

_I didn't hate him._

**But you hated what was happening, so you were able to tap that power.**

_So, again, why the hell are you helping me?_

**Heh, let's just say it's a two-way deal.**

And with that, the mental link between the two minds was broken again, allowing both the host and the demon their privacy. Well, more the demon than the host, Kyuubi was still able to hear Naruto's every thought.

"Stupid fox, always giving my these cryptic messages and then leaving me to decipher them." He sighed. "I swear, if he ever gets out of there then I might kill him just for that reason."

He continued walking, he was finally at the entrance to the humble town. He walked in and immediately recognized Jiraiya's 'information-gathering' spot. _Dammit, he never paid me back! I gave him all of my money too! Stupid old man, in the three years I was with him... gah, it's in the past._

"Huh?" He heard a voice from down the road. "Hey, I recognize that kid!"

Naruto turned in the direction he head the voice, there was a familiar man waving his hand in Naruto's direction. "Hey, Fuuma... guy!" He walked over to the man and smiled. "It's been a while."

"It's Hanzaki." The man's eyebrow twitched. "You never struck me as the responsible type that would remember someone's name."

"Hey, it's been almost four years!" Naruto argued. "Even I can forget something every now and then."

"So, what are you doing here, Naruto? You're not someone who should just show up in a village without a disguise. You're lucky that we all like you here." The man called Hanzaki said.

"Hehe, yeah." He scratched his head. "I know, Konoha's telling everyone that I'm some kind of evil villain. But I need a favor from you guys."

"Name it." Hanzaki said. "We owe you, you saved our clan."

"I need allies." Naruto said. "Konoha attacked and destroyed Waterfall a few days ago, I'm sure you heard about it. But it's just the beginning of a war, and I'm trying to stop it before it happens."

"How do you plan on doing that?"

"Well... I don't know. But if I'm not able to stop it before it starts, then I'll just try to bring an end to it before the villages destroy each other,"

Hanzaki sighed. "We'd better go inside, this seems like it will be a long conversation."

* * *

"So that's my plan." Naruto finished his explanation. "So, can you help me?"

"I don't know..." Hanzaki said. "We have our hands full here. While we may not be part of any Ninja Village, we still take missions like normal Ninja do."

"You could still do your missions and stuff!" Naruto said. "I mean, you can still be allies and have your own things to do, I'll only need one person to come with me as a contact, at least for now."

"Well, do you have any other members of this group you're starting or are you all alone?" Hanzaki queried. "And do you have a base of operations? You need these things before I can promise you anything."

"Yeah, I've got Hyuuga Hinata with me, we're starting it together."

The man blinked. "Oh." _Hyuuga? Interesting._ "So where is your base?"

"Umm..." Naruto thought for a moment. "I really shouldn't tell you. It's illegal for anyone to give us a place to stay, so I don't want to get them in trouble... but then, they're not supposed to even exist anyway. And we're probably going to go to a different place soon anyway..."

"So are you going to tell me or not?"

"Fine, for now we're staying in what's left of Waterfall village. They're rebuilding it already, and the leader is a friend of mine, so they're letting us stay there for at least a little while."

"Waterfall?" The man asked, a little surprised. "But it was annihilated, according to Konoha reports."

"Konoha must not have looked close enough." Naruto said. "Because more than two-thirds of the people living there are still alive. Oh damn, I shouldn't have said that!"

"You just realize this?" The man sighed gently and chuckled. "You really shouldn't have even mentioned the village."

"Shut up!" Naruto said. "Don't tell anyone about it!" _Damn, if Hinata were here she probably would've stopped me. That's what I get for leaving her behind._

"Whatever." The man sighed. "Personally, I would be happy to help you. But it's really up to the clan, this is a huge proposal... but I'm sure they won't mind. They only have fond memories of you, especially Sasame."

"Sasame-chan?" Naruto's attention shifted at the mention of the younger girl. "Oh yeah, how is she?"

"She's been doing very well, and it's thanks to you and your friend." The man smiled. "She talks about you sometimes, and about your talking frogs."

"Cool." Naruto smiled. "Where is she?"

"She should be returning from a small mission tonight. She'll be happy to see you."

* * *

Later on, most of the clan had heard Naruto's plan, and most of them had decided it was a good idea as long as they didn't get pulled into anything too nasty. Eventually, it had been decided that the clan would mostly provide financial backing instead of fighting for the as-of-yet nameless group that Naruto was starting.

A brown-haired girl named Fuuma Sasame was just getting into town by now. Back from an unimportant mission, but it brought money in.

"Hey, Sasame!" She heard someone calling her name.

"Hmm? Ojiisan?" She turned to the old man, who was sweeping the area outside one of the street-side shops. "How are you?"

"I'm good." He answered. "And I've good news, Uzumaki Naruto-san is in town!"

"Naruto-san?" She asked, suddenly much more interested in the conversation than she had when the man had first called her.

"Yes, he's at your place now, with Hanzaki-san. He wanted to see you."

A small blush spread across her face as she spoke. "He did?"

"Yeah, it sounds like something important." He said. "Rumor has it, Naruto wants you to leave with him."

"He does?" She asked, surprised. "Why would he want me?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." The man said. "Your clan was all talking about something important, I can't imagine what it is but I think it has something to do with him."

"I wonder what it could be..." She trailed off as a few possibilities flew in and out of her head. "I hope it's not bad news. Um, I'll go see them then. Bye!"

Sasame ran off toward her home, where she lived with Hanzaki, and the old man continued cleaning up his shop. "It's good to see her excited about something again."

"Hanzaki-san?" She said as she entered the house. "I'm home. Ojiisan said something about a visitor for me."

She heard Hanzaki laugh from the living area. "No doubt he also told you who it is, and possibly what the plan is as well. That old man is the worst gossip this town has ever seen."

"Umm, he said that Naruto-san wanted me to go with him somewhere." She said hesitantly as she headed toward the room her uncle was talking from.

"Ah, of course." Hanzaki said with a hearty laugh. "Nothing's secret anymore. Come down here so he can fill you in himself."

She walked through the doorway to see Hanzaki and Naruto sitting at a table with a Shogi board set atop it. The blonde was losing viciously, and Hanzaki wasn't exactly the best player in the town.

"Oye, Sasame-chan, it's been a while." He turned to the girl and smiled, then actually got a good look at her. _Damn, why is it that all the girls I knew so long ago all grew up so..._

**Just say it, She and Hinata are both very-**

_Shut up! Over this past year you've been very confusing you stupid demon! First you're all helpful and crap, then you try to escape from my body a few times before we got back to Konoha, then you give me nightmares and I leave Konoha, then MORE nightmares, then you're telling me about new powers I have. And NOW you're just being a stupid, annoying pervert like Jiraiya. Would it kill you to do something that makes sense?_

**In fact, it's everyone except that Sakura girl that's so-**

"Naruto-san?" She snapped him out of his daze before Kyuubi could finish. "You have a... frustrated look on your face. Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" He jolted back into reality. "Oh, sorry... I uhh..."

A few seconds of awkward silence followed, as Naruto tried to think of an excuse and Sasame just blushed because of the awkwardness and waited for him to say something.

_Stupid hormonal teenagers. _Hanzaki shook his head. _I probably should have warned him about her beauty. But still, I blame the hormones. _"Fine, since you two are already at a loss for words, I'll explain it."

* * *

Naruto lay awake in his bed just after waking up from a new nightmare. This one didn't involve any death, no destruction. There was no physical pain like there had been in previous nights. In this one, he was simply alone. And somehow, it was more terrifying than all of the previous ones.

He decided to go for a midnight walk, it would at the very least give him something to do to fill the rest of the night.

_So, you're still giving me these dreams._ He thought toward the Kyuubi, but had no reply. _I still don't understand why you do it, are you just trying to get back at me for being the one that you're sealed inside, or is there something I'm missing._

This time, there was a reply. **You're always missing something. Get used to it.**

_Damn cryptic comments of yours, you'll never make something easy for me will you?_

No reply. Just more silence from the demon within.

He jumped up onto the rooftop of Hanzaki's house, then sat and stared up at the sky. "Looks like Gaara's probably having a rough night too, it's a full moon." He said, remembering what his odd friend had told him almost eleven months ago.

_Something that weakens the Kyuubi's grasp on my mind._ He sighed sadly. _I still don't understand, Gaara._

"Naruto-san?" He heard Sasame's voice come from the ground. "I heard you talking in your sleep."

"You can drop the formality." He said, still staring at the moon. "We're members of the same team now." _I should probably tell Hinata to stop calling me 'Naruto-kun' and speak casually._

"Can I join you?" She asked.

"Sure." He said, pulling his gaze away from the sky as she jumped up and sat next to him.

"Is Sakura-san a member?" She asked.

"No, she's just a naïve little girl in Konoha. She probably thinks that the only problem with the world is that some little village called Waterfall wanted to attack Konoha. Back when I was there, she seemed so confident in that Hokage."

"Oh." Sasame said. "Did Sasuke ever return?"

"No, that's one of the reasons I'm out here now. I have to kill him."

"Oh." She said again, deciding it was best not to ask for any details. "While you were asleep... you kept saying something, like you were looking for it."

"I was?" He asked, surprised. He couldn't remember looking for anything in his dream.

"Yes, I think you were looking for a place... you kept saying 'hinata'." (Note: "Hinata" means "Warm, sunny place" in Japanese"

"I was?" He asked with a sigh, not really surprised. "Hinata is the name of the girl that left Konoha with me."

"Really?" Sasame asked. "Are you in love with her?"

Naruto looked at his kneecaps, suddenly they were very interesting. "You should get some rest."

"I can't sleep." She replied simply. "Was it too personal a question?"

"No, it's fine." He answered after a moment.

"So, do you?"

"No." He said after a slightly longer pause. "I mean... I can't fall in love. I shouldn't, It'd only hurt everyone in the end."

"Why not?" Sasame asked.

"I have a dark past, Sasame. It's something that haunts me every day. But if she ever found out about it, she would be terrified of me." He explained. "But it's inevitable, she'll find out soon enough. I don't want to become attached if I'm only going to lose her in the end."

"So you do love her." Sasame said softly. It was more of a statement than a question.

Naruto slouched forward and rested his chin on his knees. "Yeah..." _Damn._

* * *

The next day, everything was set. Sasame had finished packing, they ate lunch and were ready to leave for Waterfall. Only a nice three-day walk lie ahead of them.

"Well, we'd best be off." Naruto said to Hanzaki. "Thanks for all your help, Mister. We'll keep in touch."

"You take care of Sasame, kid." He said with a smile. "If I ever hear something happened to her, it'll be your head."

"Hey, teammates stick together." Naruto smiled. "She'll be fine."

"I'll be fine." She parroted. "Don't worry about me."

"Okay, well you two should be off then." Hanzaki said. "I'll see you later."

And the two teens were off, but the town gossip had been watching. Things always get bad when gossip is involved.

"Hmm... They must have gotten married." He smiled to himself. "A secret political marriage to unite the Fuuma clan with the clan of runaways from Konoha."

"You're a moron." Hanzaki sighed, he had heard the man's ramblings. "They're going off to fight a war."

"A secret political marriage war." The old man said with a proud smile. "I've got to tell everyone."

Hanzaki sweat-dropped. "Great, the rumors are going to spread like wildfire." He sighed. "At least I don't think it'll expose Naruto..."

Back on the trail, they began their uneventful three day trek toward Waterfall. Well, it would be mostly uneventful. The only big thing would be when they discovered that...

* * *

"Hinata's GONE!" Naruto half-asked, half-screamed. "What the hell do you mean gone!"

They had found Genka and Shuuzen on their way there, near the Konoha border. Neither of them were in very good shape, they'd lost a fight.

"I'm a Genjutsu user, they all had that damned Byakugan. My techniques are useless." Genka explained sadly. "I'm sorry."

* * *

**-End of Chapter Thirteen-**

**Revised on 9/5/2011  
**


	14. Infiltration

**-Chapter 14-  
**

* * *

"They followed us, two Hyuugas." Genka explained after Naruto and Sasame took them back to Waterfall. "We traveled through Fire Country, they weren't looking for us though. I think they just spotted us and decided to follow. But they jumped us well before we were out of Fire Country, so they don't know about Waterfall still being here. That was two days ago."

"Damn!" Osanai clenched his fist. "I should have sent someone with her."

"No." Naruto said. "I shouldn't have left her here."

Genka sighed. "Yeah, and I should have learned a big, super, magical Genjutsu that works against Byakugan." She said smartly. "Can we all stop blaming ourselves and just fix the problem?" _They're both idiots. How does she put up with them?_

"It's not that easy." Naruto said. "Konoha is prepared to defend against any kind of attack. After all, they're the ones that are trying to start a war."

"Are they prepared against an attack by a group of random traders that came into town for business?" Genka said with a grin. "After all, acting is the best illusion."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"Well, Shuuzen can get into Konoha easily, since she's not well-known anywhere. It might be a little difficult for me, because of my A-rank status." She explained. "But some hair dye could fix that."

"What about me?" Naruto asked. "It's gonna be tough hiding an S-ranked wanted man, and everyone in Konoha knows me at first glance."

Genka smiled. "Well, hair dye, makeup, some color contacts and some practice in altering your voice should fix that problem."

Naruto's eye twitched. "Hair dye... makeup... no." He shook his head. "Not happening."

"You want to save Hinata, don't you?" Genka smiled smartly. "From what Sasame tells me, you-"

"WHAT?" Naruto screamed. "She told you?"

"Okay, you're lucky I took my basic kit from my house. Everything in here is specifically made for me, makes it more believable, but this makeup should match your skin tone, and the contacts don't have any correctional properties, so they'll work for you too."

"I hate you." Naruto grumbled.

"I know you do." She grinned. "And you love Hinata, so you'll do everything I say."

"I hate you even more now."

* * *

"Hinata-sama, Naruto won't come." Neji said. "Even if he wanted to, he doesn't know where you are. The two you were traveling with are dead."

"When Neji told me that you were able to defeat Lee, I had changed my mind about you." Hiashi said. "But now that we found you traveling within fire territory, and defeated you without even making an attempt, I've found that I was wrong."

"So... what will you do with me?" Hinata asked slowly, they had given her free roam of Konoha, and convinced the Hokage to officially accept her back as a Konoha Genin, but she would be watched closely by ANBU for at least a few weeks to make sure she wouldn't try to escape.

"You will be reinserted into Team Eight with Shino, Kiba and Kurenai. You will remain a Main Family member until the time that Hanabi marries. There is nothing more to explain, your day-to-day life will be as it was before you were taken away."

"I wasn't taken." She said quietly. "I chose to leave."

"It doesn't matter to me." Hiashi said, then left the room, leaving her alone with Neji.

"Hinata-sama..." He still spoke respectfully, "I still don't understand why you wanted to leave." He said, this time with the caring tone she had grown used to in the years before she had run away.

"He was alone, everyone he cared for had been killed. And I was a failure here, I wanted to make a new life." She said, then sat on the floor, they were in the dojo. "He didn't want me to come at first. He had chosen his path, and he said that he didn't want me to take his path and leave everything behind."

"So why did you go?" He asked, sitting next to her.

"Because I wanted to make a choice for myself for once."

A long silence ensued before Neji attempted to change the atmosphere. "Where did you learn that jutsu? The one you beat Lee with."

"One of the women you killed taught it to me a few months ago."

"Oh..." He sighed. "Why weren't you with Naruto when we found you?"

"He went to find someone." She answered simply.

"Hinata-sama, please don't be so cold." He said, this time he sounded almost sad.

"Why not?" She asked sharply.

Neji sighed again. "Just try to get used to life in Konoha again. Your team doesn't have any missions for a while so go out and do something."

"Why did you make me come back?"

"Because this is where you belong."

"I never belonged here. Father made that clear every day."

Neji groaned. "Hinata-sama, I hope you'll forgive me soon." With that, he walked away. _And I hope that Naruto comes, Hinata... for your sake._

_What do I do now?_ She thought to herself. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud bark. She turned around and saw none other than... "Kiba-kun?"

"Hinata?" He was just as surprised as she was. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Naruto?"

"Huh?" She was even more surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I saw you with him a week ago." He confessed. "I didn't think he was telling the truth when he told me that you chose to go, but when I saw you with him... Why are you here anyway? Is Naruto back?"

"No..." She sighed. "Neji and my father attacked me and killed the two women I was with, then brought me here."

"What?" He couldn't believe it, but then it did sound like something Hiashi would do. "Those bastards!"

"I don't blame Neji, he was only doing as he was told." She said softly. "He isn't able to go against my father."

"Oh yeah." Kiba sighed. "Want some company until Naruto gets here?"

"He isn't coming, he doesn't have any way of knowing where I am."

"Ha! We both know that brat better than that." Kiba grinned. "He's nothing if not stubborn and persistent. He'll find a way."

"Thanks." She smiled. "I hope you're right." _What is Kiba-kun doing in the Hyuuga's dojo anyway?_

* * *

"Have I ever told you how much I hate you?" Naruto complained as Genka applied some makeup to hide the whisker-marks on his face.

"There are ANBU guards at every entrance, a Genjutsu is too risky. Even one of mine could be detected. That's all they need in order to lock us up, they don't even need to know who we are."

"I wish I knew how Sasuke got into the village without being spotted." The blonde grumbled.

"They weren't getting ready for a war back then." Genka replied simply. "He was training under Orochimaru for three years. You learn stuff like that from a Sannin, you of all people should know that."

"Oh, Sannin. Like that title is going to impress me now." He sighed. "Jiraiya's smart but useless, Orochimaru turned evil and Tsunade was killed by a single Jounin."

"Well, you must have learned a lot from Jiraiya." She said as she finished up the whiskers. "Right?"

"Yeah." He grumbled. "He may be a useless pervert, but he knows his Ninjutsu."

"Alright, now your eyes." She said as she pulled out a small box from her pack. "I only have two of these, and they're reserved for me usually. But since your need is greater than mine, I'll let you use them."

"Fine." He grunted. "You've already put makeup on me and made my hair _green_. What does it matter if my eyes are a different color?"

"Umm... I picked up the contacts when I left." She laughed nervously. "I got the pack with a brown and a green. So, instead of two black eyes, one will be blue and the other will be brown." She said with an evil grin. "I'll get the green one."

"Of course." He sighed. "Nothing's ever normal with you."

"If I were normal, then who would keep you entertained in your time of need? It always helps to have someone to keep you cheered up when something like this happens."

"Need I remind you that if it weren't for you, Hinata would still be here?"

"Shut up!" She smacked him over the head. "Now you're blaming me!"

"It's better than blaming myself, isn't it?" He countered. "Why are we doing this now anyway, instead of when we're closer to Konoha?"

"No time like the present." She answered. "Do you ever stop complaining? I'm trying to help you here."

Naruto was abnormally silent after this. "Yeah... sorry."

_Weird kid._ She thought to herself with a chuckle. _His feelings confuse even himself _"I'll shut up." She said with a smile. "You're having a hard time, aren't you?"

"Meh." Was his only response. _I've had better days._

A little while longer, Naruto had green hair, mismatched eyes and a slightly deeper voice.

Genka's hair was also dyed green, and she had the green contact lens in her left eye, giving her another mismatched pair of eyes.

Shuuzen's hair had somehow changed to a dark brown, similar to Genka's natural hair color. Her eyes were also blue now. Naruto guessed it was something that she could do with her medical skills, or something along those lines.

* * *

"Uh... you're being quiet... well, you're always quiet." Kiba laughed nervously. "But it's different this time."

"I'm sorry." She responded. "I'm just thinking... what if he doesn't come?"

"Stop thinking like that!" He exclaimed.

"No, really, what if he thinks I just left him?" She asked. "What if he thinks I ran back to Konoha? He told me a little over a week ago that he ran into you, he thought that I would _want_ to come back. What if he thinks that's what happened?"

"He'd just leave you here?"

"If he thinks it's what I want, he might..."

Kiba sighed. "I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Why do you want him to come so badly? Do you want to be away from Konoha or do you want to be with him?"

Hinata stopped to think for a moment. "I want to be with him, outside of Konoha. I wouldn't want to make him stay here with me, and I don't want to leave with anyone else."

"That's kinda confusing..." Kiba joked. "So, which is more important?"

Hinata almost didn't want to answer, the question was so stupid. "I want to be with Naruto-kun."

"Oh, thought so." He sighed. "Well, I hope he comes." He said encouragingly. "But if he doesn't, then I'll be happy to help spring you out of here someday, and I'll even help you find him."

"Thanks, Kiba-kun."

* * *

After a good two days of travel, at a just-above-leisurely pace, Naruto, Sasame, Genka and Shuuzen had finally reached the Konoha gates. Now it was time for Genka to work her magic.

"Who goes there?" Called the ANBU guard, one of three that were visible at this particular gate.

"Gami Enka, and this is my brother, Ruto." She pointed to Naruto. "My sister, Shuuzen." She pointed to Shuuzen, who didn't need an alias, since nobody had ever heard of her. "And our escort, Fuuma Sasame." She pointed to Sasame, who was posing as a Ninja escort from the Fuuma clan. It was easy enough to make this an official Fuuma mission, in case any of these ANBU decided to get really thorough and asked for proof that she was their escort.

"What is your business?" The ANBU asked professionally.

"We're traders, Ruto-chan thought that Konoha would have some good business for us."

"Stop calling me that." Naruto grumbled, just loud enough for the ANBU to hear it. It wasn't part of the plan, but he thought it would add a realistic touch. That, and the fact that he really hated having the cutesy suffix after his name'.

"Hand over all of your vendible items and other belongings to be searched." The ANBU said as his two partners came and took the cart full of trinkets that Genka was pushing, as well as Sasame's survival equipment.

A few minutes later, they were in the village. But that was the easy part, the hard part would be finding Hinata without looking suspicious. And they also had to stay in character, in case they had been put under a watchful eye by the guard. You can never be too careful.

"Ruto, I'm going to set up shop." Genka said with a smile. "You can go explore for a while, there are probably some interesting places around here." _And I might actually be able to make this cart pay for itself. We'll probably be here a few days after all._

'Ruto' tried to decide where to go, but he had a feeling that the first place to look for her was the Hyuuga residence. Now the only problem was getting there without looking suspicious.

He found it easy enough, the wealthy areas of Konoha had far less people in the streets, so that meant less people to wonder what he was doing. _I wish we could have just blown in and gotten her._ He thought. _Maybe Genka will screw up the plan and we'll be able to. _

He managed to get to the gate to the Hyuuga mansion before anyone stopped him.

"Who are you?" Came a familiar voice.

"Who are you?" Naruto countered.

"Hyuuga Neji." The Hyuuga genius answered simply. "I live here."

"Really?" Naruto put a bit of awe into his voice. "That's awesome! I'm Gami Ruto, by the way. So are you a Ninja?"

"Hmm?" Neji was a bit taken aback. "Yeah, I am."

"That's awesome!" He exclaimed. Naruto may have sucked at Genjutsu, and he wasn't exactly a decent actor either, but there was a good cause making him try harder. "So, have you killed anyone? Or, like, is that bad?"

"Um..." Neji thought back a few days, to when they captured Hinata. "I haven't killed in a long time." _But if I let anyone else know that, I could be in trouble._

"Really?" Ruto asked.

"What are you doing here?" Neji asked, more curious than suspicious. "I haven't seen you before."

"Oh, sorry. I'm here with my sister, she's sort of a trader. She goes from town to town trying to sell stuff for more than she bought it somewhere else. I just tag along since our parents are dead."

"Oh." Neji responded. "I understand, my parents died long ago... I should be going now, my cousin hasn't been feeling well for a few days."

"What?" It as all Naruto could do to keep from blowing his cover.

"Err, she's been depressed for about a week now. She lost someone close to her." Neji explained, very carefully. "I really should be going."

"Okay, maybe I'll see you around." Naruto said with a grin.

"Maybe."

Naruto watched Neji walk into the Hyuuga estate. _That means she's in there! This could be easier than I had expected. _With that, he decided to go and continue his random wandering through Konoha.

****

"Hinata-sama." Neji said. "Kiba's in the living area."

"Okay." She said quietly before walking to the main part of the house.

"Hinata, Kurenai-sensei gets back in two days." Kiba said as he saw her walking in. "We have a mission that morning."

"Okay." She said with a heavy sigh.

Kiba gave her a worried look. "You're still sad, huh?" He didn't get an answer, so he decided to try to cheep her up. "Let's go do something!"

"Sure." She said after a moment's hesitation. "Wherever you want to go."

_A year ago, I would have loved to be able to do this with her, but not now._ He thought with a sigh. _I'm no competition for Naruto, at least not with Hinata._

So they walked around for a while, with just a few comments between the two. Eventually, Kiba got tired of the silence.

"When he gets here, you can be sure it'll be a really loud entrance." He said with a laugh. "And he won't have any kind of plan."

Hinata couldn't help but laugh at that. It sounded so like him. "Yeah."

"And if he's really worried, he'll probably do in a few more ANBU." He said, this time it was a joke.

Instead of laughing, Hinata's curiosity was piqued. "I heard something about four ANBU that he got into a fight with."

"You don't know what happened?" Kiba was surprised. "Everyone here was talking about it for a few days, back when it happened."

"What happened?"

"Well, we don't really know. But he managed to kill four ANBU that were sent out with Kakashi-sensei to find you guys. According to the rumors, he did a really good job too. And Kakashi-sensei hasn't really acted the same since. Sure, he's still got his nose in a book all the time. But he acts really different now, Neji says that something he saw there might have brought back some bad memories."

"How does he act different?" Hinata asked, growing more and more curious somehow.

"Well, he's been _training!_ I don't think I've ever seen him train before then. But it hasn't even been a year since then and he managed to finish a jutsu he was working on since just after Naruto left with that Sannin."

Hinata didn't respond.

"Hinata?" He turned toward the girl to see her looking confused. "What's wrong?"

"That woman, she looks familiar." She said, looking at a woman that was selling trinkets on the street.

"What do you mean?" Kiba looked at the woman now, he didn't recognize anything.

"I don't know." She said as she walked up to the woman's little set up shop.

"Hmm?" The 'stranger' turned toward Hinata. "Ahh! Hyuuga-sama!" She grinned. "Would you like to buy something? Only the finest for our fat-pursed, err I mean our more noble customers."

"No, that's okay." Hinata said politely. "But have I ever seen you before?"

"Hmm?" The woman looked confused. "I don't think so. After all, most people don't forget my eyes." She said, pointing at them. One was green, while the other was brown. "They're not fancy like yours, but not easily forgotten."

A boy ran up now, with green hair to match the merchant's. "Enka, Enka!" He called.

"Ruto-chan!" She grinned at his suddenly frustrated expression. "I've met one of the famous Hyuuga clan members!"

_There's something weird about these guys. _Kiba thought to himself. _That kid looks familiar._

"Really? I met him t-" He stopped as he saw who Genka was talking about.

"Ruto!" She bashed him over the head, just to keep him from blowing their cover. "It's rude to stare."

"Sorry." He grumbled.

"Hinata." Kiba whispered. "There's something suspicious about these people."

"What do you mean?" Hinata whispered back.

"I've got a hunch." He answered with a grin. "And I'm about to confirm it."

Kiba quickly pulled out a kunai and positioned himself behind the shopkeeper, but the woman had moved just as quickly, and was now in the middle of a flip over and behind him, with his hand and kunai tightly in hers. Another second later, she was positioned behind him, holding his own kunai in front of his neck.

"Damn." She muttered and dropped Kiba's hand.

"I knew it." Kiba smirked and turned to face her. "You're Shinobi."

The little show had attracted the attention of several villagers. A few Konoha Shinobi were already assembled, and surely there would be a group of ANBU here within a few seconds. Things were looking a bit touchy now, and they knew they were in for a fun time.

"You blew our cover." The boy called 'Ruto' snickered. "Now we do it _my_ way."

"Alright." She gave an exasperated sigh. "But be careful." She said, then turned to her partner. "Shuuzen, let's get Hinata out of here, Naruto will clear a path."

The mention of the blonde's name made everyone even more alert. A few of the people that were more surprised included Hinata, Kiba and the small legion of ANBU that had arrived on the scene.

_Naruto-kun! _Hinata gasped and looked at the green-haired boy's single blue eye. _It really is you! And Shuuzen-sensei, and Genka-sensei!_

_Naruto! _Kiba gasped and stared at the green-haired boy also. _You really thought this through, didn't you?_

_Oh crap._ Thought the ANBU squad leader. _We'd better not make a mistake, Hokage-sama wouldn't be very happy if he gets away._

Naruto grinned and pulled out an explosive bomb from his pack, then tossed it at the ANBU. "Boom."

"Huh?" was all the ANBU captain managed to get out before his entire squad was engulfed in flames, but their armor and masks protected them for the most part.

The green-haired Naruto decided to try something. _Let's see if Kyuubi was telling the truth. I guess I should just concentrate and..._

He moved his arm in a sweeping gesture, and the fireball dissipated in alignment with his hand. "Heh. Control over fire, the simplest element."

"Damn, he's gotten better!" The ANBU captain cursed. _How did he do that?_

"Of course I have. That's what happens to people who train under a Sannin." He repeated the words that he had mocked hours earlier.

The ANBU watched as Naruto slipped out a hidden scroll, then activated it with his chakra. "What are you looking this way for? You've got other problems."

The captain turned around in time for a solid punch to smash into his mask. "What? Kage Bunshin? But he didn't do anything yet!"

"You'll find a few more surprises in store for you, when I open this one." Naruto said as he slipped another scroll from inside his sleeve. "Just wait and see."

* * *

In a faraway place, a man arose from seemingly nowhere. His bright blonde hair was all that could be seen through the dense fog. Without a sound, he started running south, toward the country of fire.

_Why am I in this world again?_

* * *

**REVIEW!**

**Revised on 9/5/2011**


	15. I Just Saw a Ghost!

**-Chapter 15: I Just Saw a Ghost!-**

* * *

"What was that?" A silver-haired man looked up from his book at the sound of a large explosion. "It came from the shopping district. I shouldn't worry about it, the ANBU should manage on their own."

He might have been right, if the ANBU really knew exactly what they were fighting. They knew _who_ they were fighting, but he wasn't using any style that they were familiar with. Somehow, his clones could appear anywhere he wanted them to. No seal, no incantation, they just appeared. And it was driving them crazy.

His second scroll had an even stranger effect, they weren't sure if it did something to him or to them. But whenever he moved, he would somehow always hit his intended target before he even seemed to reach it. They were fairly certain it was some sort of illusionary trick.

The leader felt another blow to his side as another clone bashed into him, then vanished from existence. _Dammit, we've already been caught in one of his prankster tricks. Looks like I'll need to step things up._

A few hand seals later, and he was ready to fight properly. "Suro-Jikoku"

Everything around him seemed to slow to about one-third of its normal speed. His jutsu was properly in effect, and Naruto's Genjutsu scroll had even been dispelled, another perk of this jutsu. _Now I can do this the right way._ He grinned behind his mask and turned to look around him. The only downside of this jutsu was that you could only move at the same speed as everything around you, since it doesn't actually slow down time itself, but speeds up your brain and reaction time.

He turned around, two clones had popped into existence behind him, while two more were advancing on his partners. _Too bad this doesn't work for them. _He thought internally as he awaited the chance to pop the clones.

They saw that he could see them, and a frightened expression flashed over their faces before he hit them each in the face. He turned around to see the real one's face shift from entertained to confused. _Heh, surprised?_

Naruto's voice seemed low and distorted from his perspective. "What the...?"

He ran up to the green-haired Naruto, who prepared a simple block with his arms. The ANBU had plenty of time to think of a way around it, and wound up slamming his right foot into his gut, kicking him back and into a wall. Naruto then jumped onto a high rooftop, followed by the ANBU leader.

By now, the other ANBU had been relieved of the clone assault, since Naruto was concentrating on their leader. They all jumped into action, each preparing a different attack.

But before they could do anything, another explosion rocked the city as a giant fireball appeared from over the forest. At that, Naruto tossed an explosive tag at the street and made a run for it. The tag exploded, incinerating the cart that Genka had rented and shattering windows along the road.

When the ANBU looked up from the explosion, the boy was gone again. "Damn!" The captain cursed as everything around him accelerated back to normal speed.

While the Konoha guards searched for him, he ran at full speed toward the gates. When he finally reached the gate, someone was waiting for him, two people as a matter of fact. "Kiba, Neji?"

Both of the boys grinned. "Take care of her, stupid." Kiba said.

"Huh?" Naruto was utterly astonished. "You're letting us go?"

"Naruto." Neji said with a strange expression on his face. "I won't let you go next time."

"Why are you letting me go now?" Naruto asked cautiously.

"Because it's what's best for Hinata." He said as he looked to the side, "And... I trust you."

"Same goes for me." Kiba said, his grin suddenly faded away. "We both think that it's best to let her out with you, but next time will be different."

"You'll only lose again." Naruto said. Then with a burst of speed, he dashed between the two older ninjas and through the gate. _They've both changed so much since I last saw them. Hinata must have really been sad._

Kiba grinned and watched Naruto run off. "He looks weird with green hair."

_I still don't understand why you must leave us, Naruto._ Neji thought. _But I swore to protect Hinata when I was young, and this seems to be in her best interests. But we will meet again._

Back in the Hokage's tower, a very flustered Hokage smashed his fist into his desktop. "Damn! We weren't able to hold the brat in the village for even a few hours."

"Hokage-sama, why is this such a big deal?"

"Do you have any idea what could happen if he joined another village? They will have the power of Kyuubi no Kitsune." _I hope the boss doesn't decide to kill me because of this. He's been trying to get his hands on the Kyuubi brat since before I became Hokage, and now I've let the perfect opportunity slip away._

* * *

"How are you still alive?" Hinata asked. "Neji was supposed to kill you."

"Well, I guess he spared us." Genka shrugged. "Looks like someone from Konoha still has morals. But anyway, Naruto was telling me about this ragtag team of Shinobi he's trying to put together, and I've finally made up my mind. I think I'll join."

"That's great." Hinata smiled. "What made you decide that?"

"Well, so far the team consists of only teenagers." She explained. "You, Naruto, Osanai and Sasame. I thought a little adult supervision would be good." She grinned knowingly.

"Sasame?" Hinata asked, confused.

"That's me." Sasame said. "My family is going to be working in support of Naruto and his work."

"You're the person in Tea Country that Naruto-kun was going to see?" _She's prettier than I am..._

"Yeah." Sasame replied.

"Okay." Genka interrupted them before it got awkward. "Ruto-chan should show up soon." She grinned. _Oh, I'm going to love using this new nickname._

Right on cue, the green-haired kid hung out of a tree just above her. "Stop calling me that."

"Ahaha." Genka laughed. "Now, why should I do that? Oh, I have an idea!"

"Oh no..." Naruto sweat-dropped.

"Hey, Hinata. Guess what Sasame told me." Genka grinned evilly.

"NO!" Naruto fell from the tree.

"Okay, then I keep calling you Ruto-chan, little brother."

"You're just evil." Naruto grumbled. "But let's get out of here before Konoha decides to look for us."

"Naruto-kun."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Heh, no problem."

* * *

"So, kid. You've admitted it to yourself, but you can't just tell her?" Genka asked as she sat on a log next to him.

They had set up camp for the night, and Naruto volunteered himself for guard duty. He decided it would be best since he wouldn't get much sleep anyway.

"I don't get it." He poked at the campfire with a stick. "I never had any problem telling Sakura how I felt, so what's wrong with me now?"

"You're afraid of losing her." Genka smiled gently. "You never had a chance with Sakura to begin with, so you always tried to win her over. But with Hinata, you're probably worried that you'll lose her affection once she knows how you feel... or about your past."

"I guess..." Naruto poked the fire again. "But... it just doesn't make any sense."

"This never makes sense, not the real thing at least." She told him. "But you don't need to worry, you know how she feels about you right?"

"Yeah." He sighed.

"Well, she'll always feel that way. You don't have to worry about that."

"I don't know..." He groaned. "I've never been... afraid to say anything, but now..."

"Naruto, don't be an idiot." She sighed.

"But... what about the Kyuubi? When she finds out about that, what will happen?"

"Everyone that's cared for you before, Iruka, Tsunade, Kakashi, they all knew about it." She smiled. "Shuuzen and I, and apparently this Osanai kid, we know too. Do we care?"

"But you didn't grow up being told that I was dangerous." He explained. "Her father was always one to argue that I would turn bad one day. And I guess he's got the perfect example now: I kidnapped his daughter, twice."

"Well, does it matter what they think in Konoha?"

"Good point." He chuckled. "But still, when she finds out, she might think about what he always used to say."

"Well, you'll just have to run that risk, won't you?"

The still green-haired boy gave her a questioning look. "You never say things like that. You always tease me and jab sarcastic comments at everyone."

"Only on this subject." She smiled sadly. "Only when something this important is at stake."

For a few minutes, they just sat and stared at the fire. "What should I do, Genka?"

She sighed. "You really love her?"

"... Yeah."

"Then just do something about it. Tell her, hold her hand..." She got that mischievous smile again. "Kiss her. Hold her tightly, all night long, until you both fall asleep in each other's arms."

He was about to shout something rude at her when he remembered waking up that morning in her house, with the dark-haired girl asleep on top of him. Instead of dismissing the idea immediately, he only blushed.

"God..." Genka stared at him with wide eyes. "I made Naruto blush. You seriously considered that didn't you?" She laughed. "Hope you aren't thinking like Jiraiya."

"No!" He shot back as loudly as he dared, not to wake up the others. "I'm not a pervert.

"I know." Genka replied with a smile.

"I've got a question." Naruto said.

"Yeah?"

"I've been having nightmares ever since I left Konoha, every night." He explained.

"So that's why you haven't been sleeping this whole trip."

"Yeah, I think it's the Kyuubi, slowly trying to take over my body. Gaara says that the only way to prevent it is to find something that weakens its grasp on my mind, but in almost a year I haven't found a single thing."

"You're asking me?" She asked, surprised. "What would I know about it?"

"Well, there were some nights – but only a few - when I slept peacefully, no dreams at all... but I don't know why."

"Like when?"

"The first was the night after I came back from training with Ryoku, then the two nights after that. It's not really been that long."

"The night after you came back with Ryoku?" Genka thought for a moment. "Maybe it was my forced sleep technique?"

"Possibly... but then, Gaara used the same technique to release Shukakku on me a long time ago, so I doubt it."

"Maybe... it's Hinata." She said, but without the expected evil grin.

"Huh?" He was taken aback by that suggestion. "What do you mean?"

"What if being near her prevents Kyuubi from doing anything painful to you? What if you're just too happy to be touched by anything it can throw at you?" She explained.

"Heh." He chuckled. "So what, I have to sleep with her in order to actually get a good night's sleep?"

"It's only an idea, it could be a million other things." She said, then the evil smile returned. "But I like this one so much more than the rest, just think of the opportunities I'll have to tease you."

"But in order to find out if you're right... I'll have to tell her... I'll have to tell her everything."

"Take your time, if you have to." Genka said with a small smile. "You know, you're not like anyone else in the world. Not anyone I've ever met at least."

"Thanks." He smiled slightly. "That's not something I would expect from you."

"And don't expect it again, either." She teased. "It's a one-time thing. But you should go to sleep, I'll keep watch."

"That's okay, I can't sleep anyway." He said with a wave of his hand. "You go to your tent and sleep, I'll get everything ready to go by morning."

"You're sure?" Genka asked. "Okay." _Just like him, he thinks of others before himself. He'd probably wind up starving if we were short on food. _She laughed quietly and went back into the large tent, where Shuuzen, Sasame and Hinata were all sleeping peacefully.

She looked at the older teenage girl asleep on the ground. _You've got a great man there, Hinata._

* * *

"Guys, wake up." Naruto said as he removed one of the tent poles, a grin on his face. "The tent's coming down on top of you unless you get out here."

"Huh?" He heard one of the women reply groggily. "The tent's coming down?"

"Yep." He laughed. "We've got to get to the village before anyone from Konoha comes this way."

"Huh?" He heard another voice, this time it was one of the girls. "What's going on?"

"Naruto's putting the tent away." One of the adults answered with a yawn.

"But we're inside the tent..." The teen mumbled. "Oh... wait..."

Naruto pulled out another tent pole. "Are you guys coming out or what? Cause I'm pretty sure that I would be able to roll it up, even with all of you inside it if I had to."

Someone punched him from inside, he was pretty sure that was Genka. At least, he hoped it was. "What time is it?"

"It's almost six in the morning." He replied. To a Ninja, this is a normal time to wake up, and that meant that if Konoha was sending people to look for them, they had better get away as soon as possible.

"Dammit, how'd I oversleep?" He heard another one mumble, while all the voices were still groggy, he knew this was Genka, as she was the only one who cursed like that.

"Does it matter?" The third tent pole came out, leaving just one more holding the tent's roof above them. Naruto grinned to himself. _Heh, payback._

"Okay, just let us get our stuff cleaned up." He heard Genka say, this time she was more coherent and he could recognize her voice. "Just give us two minutes."

Two minutes later, the two girls and two women were out of the tent, and Naruto pulled out the last dowel and rolled it all up. "Okay, let's go."

So they were off on the last leg of the trip back to Waterfall. It had been five days since Naruto had been there, and over a week for Hinata. Hopefully, Osanai hadn't starved to death, she hadn't planned on being gone for so long after all.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata chimed up.

"Yeah?"

"Why did you come to get me?" She asked timidly, not really sure if she'd like the answer.

Naruto's face shifted into a surprised expression. "Huh? You wanted to stay?"

"No!" She quickly dismissed his question. "I was just wondering, they all told me you wouldn't come. Except Kiba-kun, but I think he was only saying that."

"Well." Naruto stopped to think. "I don't understand why I wouldn't want to. You're good company, and not a bad fighter either." He grinned, doing his best to dodge the subject.

"You like being with me?" She asked, a little happier than before.

"Yeah..." He said. If not for his impressive self-control, he might have blushed. But that's not something that Naruto does.

"Umm... thanks..." She said with a blush, something that she does a lot.

* * *

By the end of the day, nightfall had already come and they still weren't at Waterfall. They were now near the border, just outside of Fire Country, where Naruto had found Genka a few days before.

"Let's set up camp here." Naruto said. "Konoha can't risk sending any Shinobi outside of Fire Country without a good reason right now.

"Why not?" Hinata asked.

"Because there's probably some political turmoil because of the attack on Waterfall. Any Konoha-nins leaving the country could be accused of being spies, or an attack party, by other villages." Naruto explained.

"Uh, and since when are you savvy on politics?" Genka asked.

"It's part of the Hokage's plan." He answered. "That's why I know about it."

"How do you know all about his plan anyway?" Genka asked curiously.

"It's a long story." Naruto said with a sigh. "A really long story. Don't ask, I don't want to explain, just because it's so confusing."

"Oh, I will drag it out of you." Genka said with a grin. But when she caught Naruto's glare, she decided to do it while Hinata wasn't around, if that would ever happen anytime soon.

Naruto slipped off his backpack and grinned. "Okay, I'll boil some ramen for everyone."

Genka sighed. "Stupid ramen addiction."

"It's especially good when it's spicy!" he exclaimed as he pulled out a small bottle with a mushroom cloud emblazoned on its label.

"Oh hell no." Genka's face turned blue. "I am not eating that."

"Okay, anyone else want to try it?"

Everyone quickly shook their heads.

"Okay, I guess everyone will just get normal beef-flavored ramen." He said as he started collecting wood for their fire.

A few minutes later, it was dark and they had a fire to keep warm. A pot of ramen sat atop a tray that was set above the fire, and each of them had their bowls and chopsticks.

Genka took a bite of her meal and her face turned bright red. "HOT! F- YOU NARUTO!"

"Ehehe" The blonde laughed as he slipped the hot sauce back into his backpack. "I couldn't help it."

"Everyone, I want you to notice that he didn't say 'sorry'." She fumed.

Everyone nodded, trying not to laugh at the now sweaty Genka.

"Dammit! All of you are on his side!" She continued her rant.

Everyone nodded, this time a few giggles could be heard.

"I'm going to bed." She sighed and slipped into the tent. "See you in the morning."

All the others had finished their ramen by now, except for Hinata and – strangely enough – Naruto. But he _was_ on his sixth bowl.

"I think I'll join her." Shuuzen said with a yawn. "It's been a long day."

Sasame followed suit, and before either of them realized it, Naruto and Hinata were left alone.

They both stared at the door to the tent, blinking in unison.

"I think we've been set up." Naruto said.

Hinata blushed. _I don't know if I should kill them or thank them._

Naruto, however, did know what to do. _I'm going to kill them._

"So, what was it like being in Konoha again?" He asked happily.

"It was strange..." She said. "The only person who seemed to care about me was Kiba-kun. He said that if you never came for me, he'd help me find you."

"Wow." Naruto's eyes widened. "Well, I'm glad you're back. It would've been lonely without you."

Inside the tent, the three other travelers whispered and listened.

"They're so sweet together." Shuuzen said. "It reminds me of you and Ireno."

"Yeah." Genka whispered back. "It does doesn't it? I hope it doesn't end the same way." She smiled, then looked at the young kunoichi. "Sasame, you liked him too, didn't you?"

"I never did understand why Sakura-san didn't like him." She said. "But Hinata is better for him than I am, so I'll stay out of it."

* * *

Morning came, the girls woke up to find Hinata asleep in the tent with them, and Naruto was – once again – taking down the tent while they were still in it.

"Brat!" Genka punched one of the walls of the tent, hoping he was behind it. He was.

"Ow." He moaned. "Jeez, stop hitting me like that."

Genka looked around to make sure that nobody else was awake enough to make any sense of what she said before she spoke. "So, how'd your date go?"

"I hate you." He grumbled.

"I know you do." Genka said happily.

The girls all made it out of the tent just before the last pole came down, just like the day before.

"I hope we'll have a solid roof over our heads when we get there." Genka mumbled. "He can't take a house apart."

"You'd be surprised." Naruto laughed.

"Shut up." She shot back. "I don't understand how you can go without sleep and still have energy to waste with that attitude of yours. I was up until two in the morning and I'm tired and grumpy."

"Two in the... You little! You were spying on us!" He shouted. "I'll get my revenge, just you wait!"

"Hey, guys." Genka said, directing their attention to where she was pointing. It wasn't to get Naruto off her back, she had a good reason. "Is that... who it looks like?"

"Huh?" Naruto looked in the direction she was pointing. "No... way..."

"It's impossible..." Hinata muttered as she saw what the others were staring at. There was a single man, walking the same path as they were, but going the other way. He had bright blonde hair and even brighter blue eyes that were fixated on the path, as if he didn't even see them.

"Who is that?" Sasame asked.

"That..." Hinata replied. "Is the Fourth Hokage."

The man in front of them started at the mention of himself. He looked at Hinata, then at Naruto. When his gaze reached Naruto, it fixated on his headband. The scratched Konoha symbol. A small frown spread across his face.

"I... I had a good reason." Naruto said, not really knowing why he said it. It was almost as if he knew what the man was thinking.

The Fourth looked back at Naruto's mismatched eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He frowned again, this time sort of an exaggerated sarcastic frown, with his hands at his hips and his head tilted to the left. His frown quickly turned into a foxy grin and he shrugged. With a quick wave goodbye, he continued down the path toward Fire Country, leaving no footprints to indicate that he was ever there.

Five minutes later, Hinata was finally able to form words again. "What just happened?"

"He... he knew me..." Naruto said quietly. "He knows who I am."

* * *

**-End of Chapter 15-**

**Revised on 9/5/2011  
**


	16. Double Revelation

**-Double Revelation-**

* * *

"Finally!" Osanai exclaimed as they walked into his office. "I've lost ten pounds, I've been forcing myself to eat a tiny, _tiny, _bit and pray my stomach doesn't explode! I'm hungry!"

"Is that him?" Shuuzen asked with a smile. "We'll fix you up as soon as possible."

"Thanks!" He said with a large amount of relief. "Okay, well we've got a house for you guys. It's build on the foundations of that Inn that Naruto and Hinata had a room in before Konoha attacked, a similar floor plan. There should be plenty of room for several people, when you get more allies."

"Okay, thanks!" Naruto grinned. "Have you decided to join yet?"

"It needs a name before I join." Osanai replied.

"Oh... I hadn't thought of that..." Naruto scratched his head as the others sweat-dropped. "Oh, here's an idea! Shugokage! What do you guys think?"

"I like it." Hinata nodded in approval.

"Sure." Osanai grinned. "I'm in then."

"Where's Sasame?" Naruto looked around to see Sasame standing right where she had been before. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She said quickly. "Just distracted..."

"Okay, well we are now called Shugokage!" Naruto announced. "Now let's move in and get Osanai fixed."

"I'm a person, not a thing." Osanai said, his eyebrow twitching.

* * *

Later on, Shuuzen and Genka were working with Osanai, Naruto was working on the restoration effort, and Sasame and Hinata were doing... well, nothing.

They were just sitting on some boulders, looking at the strange artificial sky.

"Hey, Hinata." Sasame said.

"Hmm?"

"How do you feel about Naruto?" She asked, curious as to Hinata's feelings.

"Huh?" She blushed. "Umm... I... kind of like him..."

"Kind of?" Sasame asked knowingly.

"Well... I mean..." Hinata blushed more. "He's... very important to me..."

Sasame sighed. "You're worse than he is. At least he can talk about it to other people."

"What?" Hinata asked, confused.

"Huh?" Sasame realized her mistake. "Oh, I didn't say that. I mean, it didn't mean anything!" She waved her arms wildly.

"Umm..." Hinata stared at the weird girl. "Okay..."

"Right..." Sasame laughed nervously. "You know, he really was worried about you."

"Huh?"

"I mean, he knows you can take care of yourself, but he was still worried." Sasame explained with a smile. _I think I can tell her at least that much._

"Really?" Hinata asked, very surprised. "He was?"

"Yeah." Sasame nodded. "But enough about that, I want to know how you _really_ feel about him."

Poor Hinata blushed again. "I... care for him very deeply." She chose her words carefully.

"Okay." Sasame sighed. "Whatever. So, how long have you been out with him?"

"Almost a year." Hinata answered. "But, for ten months I was training with Genka-sensei and Shuuzen-sensei while he was in Snow Country."

"Hello girls." Genka said as she walked up to them. "Shuuzen didn't need me anymore, all I had to do was get the kid to sleep. So I thought I'd come check on you guys."

"Hi, Genka-sensei." Hinata said happily.

"Hey, Hinata. I've got something to tell you." She said with a grin. "I was going to use this information to torture the poor brat, but your needs are greater than mine."

"Huh?" Hinata wondered what it could be. _Does she want me to play a trick on Naruto-kun?_

"Well, his birthday is tomorrow." She answered. "I thought you'd like to know."

"Tomorrow?" Hinata asked.

"Yep." Genka smiled and walked away. _Heh, Naruto'll have to tell her about Kyuubi soon enough, especially if I keep this up. He doesn't know it, but it's really for the best._

Hinata had a strange, thoughtful look on her face.

"Hinata, what's wrong?"

"Well, tomorrow is the sixteenth anniversary of the Kyuubi's attack." She answered. "He grew up without parents... his father might have even been killed that day, and because of his birthday, there probably wasn't anyone who ever celebrated it. It was a day of mourning in Konoha."

"He hasn't had a birthday?" Sasame was taken aback. "Wow, we should do something for him."

"But what should we do?"

* * *

"Oye, Ruto-chan."

Naruto cringed. _I'll kill her._ "What do you want?"

"Huh?" She started when she saw his head. "Why's your hair still green?"

"So is yours." He pointed out.

"Well I was helping with emergency surgery!" She exclaimed. "You've had plenty of time to bleach it back to its normal color."

"Well, I hadn't really thought of it." He said simply. "Why's it such a big deal?"

"It's just weird for all of us to see you with that hair." She explained. "The blonde is part of who you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean you should go bleach it. You're weird with green hair." She pointed out. "And you look too much like me, people might actually start to think you're my little brother."

"Okay, fine." He sighed. "Just let me finish here and I'll go do it."

"Okay." Genka replied. "I'm going to go check on the girls. I've got a new idea."

"I'm sure it involves doing something to me." Naruto groaned.

"They always do."

"Oye, Genka!" He called after her. "I want you to do something for me later, talk to me when I'm done."

"Alright!" She called back.

Soon, she was back in the part of the village that the girls were in. "So, any plans yet for his party?"

"Not yet." Sasame sighed. "Hinata keeps rejecting all of my ideas."

"They all involve me doing very embarrassing things!" Hinata defended.

"I think I'm going to like you, Sasame." Genka grinned. "While I tease Naruto, you can take care of the other side with Hinata. Eventually, something's bound to happen."

Hinata was genuinely confused. "What?"

"Never mind, Hinata. It's something you don't need to worry about." Genka grinned even wider. "But you should go pick a room in the house. Set up your stuff, I want to talk to Sasame."

"Umm... okay." She shrugged and went off to their house.

"What's going on at the house?" Sasame asked after Hinata had left.

"Naruto's bleaching his hair." Genka snickered. "She hasn't really seen _her_ Naruto in a while, and it's probably been very strange having this green-haired kid who is supposedly the same person. I think she'll really enjoy this... or be very embarrassed, it all depends on how long he takes to get his hair blonde again."

"You're so mean to them."

"But it's what they both need. Naruto's too stupid to say anything, and Hinata's too shy. Eventually, Hinata'll put two and two together and figure out how he feels. But before anything can really happen, she needs to know his secret."

"His secret?"

"Yeah, it's something that everyone on the team should know, really." Genka said. "Hinata has to find out on her own, or when Naruto feels ready to tell her. But I should tell you right away, before it gets too complicated."

"I already know it." She said simply. "Jiraiya-sama told me while they were passing through town. I didn't get to see Naruto that day, but Jiraiya said he felt like he should tell me."

"That Jiraiya." Genka smiled and shook her head. "He's the biggest pervert the world's ever seen, but he really knows his stuff."

"So, Hinata doesn't know yet?"

"Nope." Genka answered. "It was kept a secret from the children of Konoha. I never really knew if that was a good idea or not. But something tells me, if Hinata had known all along, she'd probably feel the same way she does now., just for different reasons."

* * *

"Hinata?" a towel-clad Naruto asked as he stepped out of the shower. "What are you doing here?"

"Huh?" Hinata turned around to see the blonde with his natural hair color, and it was messy again. And he was wearing a towel, she'd never seen him in less than a T-shirt and shorts. "Kwaa!"

If a Hyuuga could ever get starry-eyed, this was it. She refrained from running up and hugging him, and settled on hugging a Naruto plushie in her mind. A _fully-dressed _plushie.

"Umm... I'll go get dressed..." He said, more to get out of the awkward situation than anything else. From back inside the bathroom he called out to her. "Hey, you want to go do something? Well, when I've got pants on?" He laughed.

Hinata didn't appreciate the joke, she only blushed more. "Um... sure."

"Cool." She heard from inside the bathroom. "What do you want to do?"

"Umm..." She thought for a minute. "I can't think of anything."

"Okay... there's a city on the northern edge of this mountain range, it's not too far from here. You've probably had a rough week, we can just take a break for the rest of the day."

"Okay." She said with a smile. "I'd like that."

* * *

"Jiraiya-sama?" Hanzaki asked with more than a small amount of surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for my student, Uzumaki Naruto." He sighed and sat down across from Hanzaki. "You've probably heard what happened, so I can skip the formalities."

"Yes, I've heard the reports." Hanzaki replied. "He and another girl, name undisclosed, ran away from the village almost a year ago. Rumors say that the girl is actually Hyuuga Hinata, a B-class missing-nin."

"Wow, you've got your facts straight." Jiraiya smiled. "You always were good at information. So I'm sure you know something else, or have at least heard some rumors."

"Why, may I ask, do you want to know? Village business?" Hanzaki asked, very careful not to be suspicious.

"Officially, yes it's village business." He sighed. "But I'm worried about the kid. Something in my gut tells me that he really has a good reason to run away."

"You want to help him?" Hanzaki asked, slightly surprised.

"If his intentions were right, then yes." Jiraiya said, then smiled his perverted smile. "And if his intentions were... slightly less-than-noble, I'd be happy to help there as well. If you know what I mean."

Hanzaki tried his best to ignore the comment, but his annoyance showed on his face. "I've heard a few rumors..."

"Really?" Jiraiya was completely serious again. "Who told you these rumors?"

"I really shouldn't say." Hanzaki sighed. "I'm sworn to secrecy."

"You don't want to be the one in my way." Jiraiya said, giving a menacing glare. _I hope my bluff works._

"I..." Hanzaki was a bit scared now, he knew better than to anger a Sannin, no matter which one it was. Truth be told though, Jiraiya was the only Sannin that you don't need to worry about angering. If Tsunade were still alive, you'd definitely need to worry about her.

"Who told you?"

"U-Uzumaki Naruto." Hanzaki shot off. "He was here a week ago."

Jiraiya's mouth dropped open. _My first solid lead._ "Tell me everything you know."

* * *

"We'll be out for a while." Naruto told the guard on duty. "Tell Osanai that when he gets out of the operation room. And whatever you do, do _not_ let Genka know about this."

"Yes sir!" The guard replied professionally.

"Alright, thanks." Naruto grinned. "Well, that's all for now."

And Naruto and Hinata were on their way to the town outside the village.

"Ahh, Ruto-chan. It's almost too easy." After they were out of earshot, the guard transformed into Genka, now with her original brown hair. "I really need to tell him some way to detect a decent Genjutsu. Oh well, that's not important. Right now, I've got to go follow them!" And she was off after the teens.

"Hey, Hinata. I want you to do something for me." Naruto said.

"What is it, Naruto-kun?" She asked, wondering what it could be.

"Stop calling me that." He said with a smile. "It's too formal."

"Huh?"

"Stop calling me Naruto-kun." He said again.

"Why?"

"Well, I dunno..." He put his hands behind his head. "I just want to be Naruto... and I want you to speak more comfortably. And don't get any funny ideas, you can't call me 'Ruto-chan' either."

She laughed lightly. "I'll try, Naruto."

"Thanks, Hinata." He grinned. "So, let's go get some Ramen."

"Right." She sighed. _More ramen... I don't think I'll ever be able to change that._

"What, you want something else?" He asked.

"Huh?" She was startled that Naruto would be willing to eat something other than ramen. "Is that okay with you?"

"Sure." He replied with a grin. "Ramen's the best for me, but tonight is your night off."

Genka's mouth dropped open as she listened from her hiding place. _Damn. She's got no idea how hard that was for him._

Within a few minutes, they reached a well-traveled path. A few minutes later, they were at the city. "Hey, I'll be right back." He whispered. "Just wait for me inside."

"Okay..." Hinata replied, wondering what he was going to do.

He walked back out to the road and punched thin air. Or, it looked like thin air.

"Ow!" Genka appeared, rubbing her chest. "You're _not_ supposed to hit a lady there."

"Ehh?" Naruto cringed. "Sorry, I meant to hit your face."

"Oh, that's a lot better." She glared at him. "How'd you know I'm here anyway?"

Naruto looked around to make sure nobody was listening, then whispered toward her. "I don't really understand it, but I can sense people in ways that normal people can't."

"Really?" She asked. "Is it an effect of... well, you know."

"Yeah." He answered. "But I'd appreciate it if you didn't spy on us tonight."

"Aww." She said in a baby voice. "Ruto-chan wants privacy with Hinata-chan."

"Shut up! She might hear you." He whispered urgently.

"Whatever." Genka sighed. "I won't spy on you. And I can't break my promise now, you'll be able to detect me... no fair. I've got to invent a way around this new sense of yours."

"Good luck." He said with a laugh. "You'd need to be dead in order for me to miss you."

Genka's face changed again, this time she seemed to have realized something. "Naruto... when we ran into whoever or whatever it was that looked like Yondaime, did you sense anything?"

"Huh?" He thought back to earlier that day. "I did... I sort of knew what he was thinking, not in words really, but I could feel his emotions. He was definitely there."

"But you see." Genka said. "I didn't sense anything. And he didn't leave any footprints. What is it you feel with this new sense of yours?"

"I feel their presence." Naruto said. "I don't understand it very much, but I can just feel the effect that their existence makes on the world. It's like every person has ripples surrounding them, I don't think it comes from their body though."

"So, it comes from their soul?" Genka thought aloud. "Naruto, who do you think that really was?"

"I don't know..." He sighed.

"Well, I've kept you away from your date for too long." Genka said in her annoying happy voice. "Can't keep a lady waiting, we'll talk more tomorrow."

"Yeah, we'll do that." Naruto said, slightly lost in thought.

"Hey, focus!" She said sternly. "She may love you already, but you don't want to hurt her feelings by not paying attention."

"Shut up." Naruto turned around and went back toward the gate, where Hinata was waiting for him. "Okay, so what shall we do first?"

"Take this off." She said, pointing at Naruto's forehead.

"Good idea." He hadn't realized he was still wearing it. "Don't want to get arrested or anything."

They walked together for a while, looking in shops and stalls set up along the road. Apparently the town was having some sort of festival, despite the destruction of Waterfall.

Something had been bothering Hinata for a long time now. There had been lots of hints at something happening in his past. Osanai said something terrible happened to him on the day he was born. Itachi had said something about some power being inside Naruto. Genka had told her what Naruto's birthday was; the day of Kyuubi's attack. That had to all mean something.

"Naruto... What happened to you when you were born?"

The boy's face flushed white. "Huh?" _Damn... I might have to tell her sooner than I thought... _"We'd better go somewhere else, if you want to talk about that."

She didn't say anything, just followed him back out of the city. When they got out, he sat down on a big rock, patting a spot next to him. "How much do you already know?"

"Osanai told me that it happened on your birthday. Genka told me that tomorrow is your birthday. Itachi said that you have a... power."

"Damn..." He whispered. "What ever happened to Sandaime's law of secrecy?"

"Osanai told me about that too..."

"Hinata..." Naruto groaned. "If anyone else asked me all of that, I wouldn't answer... But I have to tell you."

"Why?" Hinata wondered. "If you don't want to..."

"No." He shook his head. "It's not a matter of if I want to or not. So, I'll try to explain it the best I can... I guess I don't really know where to start." He sighed. "I guess it doesn't matter. Itachi said something about power that is inside me, right? Well, what happened on the day I was born?"

"Huh?" Her eyes widened. She already had a suspicion about it, but confirmation was still shocking.

"Yeah." He answered her unspoken question. "Kyuubi no Kitsune, right? Well, it happened on the day I was born. It killed my parents, whoever they were, then Yondaime sealed it inside of me. There's not really much else to say." He said, staring at the ground on front of him.

"Why you?" She asked quietly. "Why did he pick you?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "Maybe he needed a newborn, maybe I was just the easiest to get to."

"So, Itachi is after the Kyuubi?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah." He replied, still staring at the ground.

Hinata kept silent for a minute or two. She wanted to do so many things, but she couldn't bring herself to do any of them. Eventually, she got up the courage to ask. "Why did you tell me?"

"I... I just had to." He said after a moment's hesitation. "What are you going to do now?"

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked, confused.

"All of the people back in Konoha were afraid of me, they all knew about it before I was a month old. So, they all called me a monster, tried to avoid me, ignored me, some of them even tried to kill me. What are you going to do?"

"Nothing." She answered with a small smile. "I've known you for a long time, I had a chance to know who you are before you told me about this. It doesn't change anything."

Naruto smiled, just a tiny bit. "I really hoped you would say that."

Hinata only wished she could do something to show just how much she didn't care. But every idea seemed utterly ridiculous, she thought he only saw her as a friend.

"I'm ready to go back." Naruto said and stood up again.

Hinata stood up and followed him. For a few minutes, neither said anything. But Hinata had one more thing she wanted to ask.

"Naruto..."

"Yeah?" He asked over his shoulder.

"What do you think of me?"

He sighed and stopped walking, making her almost bump into him. "You're very important to me." He answered, nearly saying the exact same thing that Hinata had told Sasame.

Hinata blushed, but then realized that this could mean many things. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." He stopped to think. "When I found out what happened to you, I was scared. I thought that you might want to stay in Konoha, that you didn't want to be with me. When Itachi came and found us, I was terrified. I thought I was going to lose you."

"When I was in Tea Country, I tried to sleep, but I had another nightmare." He continued. "I was alone in my dream, there was nobody there. Sasame told me that I kept calling your name in my sleep."

"You were?" Hinata asked, astounded that she could mean so much to him. "Why?"

"Well..." He sighed. "I don't know..."

By now, they had reached the area near the waterfall. But the falls still didn't open for them. "Great." He groaned sarcastically. "We're going to get soaked again."

Hinata sighed. "It's late, they've probably gone to sleep."

"The guards get to sleep?"

"Everyone thinks the village is gone, so nobody has any reason to come here." She explained. "But soon, some treasure hunters will probably come to dig around in the 'ruins'."

"They'll never figure it out." Naruto said, shaking his head. "They'll probably get themselves killed while trying to get in."

"Yeah." Hinata sighed. "Well, we should probably go in."

Just as she said that, the falls parted, revealing a stone stairway behind them, with a brunette standing on them. "Ruto-chan and Hinata-chan!" She called. "How was your date?"

"I think she found out, Naruto..." Hinata sweat-dropped. "After all, we were both missing, and she might have pulled it out of Osanai."

"She was following us." Naruto groaned. "Just ignore everything she says."

* * *

"She's so annoying." Naruto groaned as they entered Hinata's room, since Naruto hadn't set up his yet. "Always teasing me. I really need to get some decent payback."

"Do you want help setting up your room?" Hinata asked politely.

"Nah, I probably won't be able to sleep anyway." He shrugged, then remembered Genka's theory. "H... hey, Hinata. You know why I have these nightmares now, right?"

She nodded sadly. "The Kyuubi..."

"Yeah." He sighed. "But Genka thinks she might know a way to make them stop."

That got her attention, if he didn't have it already. "How?"

"Well..." He trailed off for a moment. "It sounds kind of stupid, but nothing else works so far."

"What is it?"

"Umm..." He scratched the back of his head. "Remember that night after I came back from Snow Country? Well, that was the first night since we left that I didn't have any nightmares."

"The night that Genka-sensei..." She blushed.

"Yeah..." He stared at hid feet. "When we... slept together."

She blushed harder than she ever had before, with the exception of that night. "Does she think that... _I _had some effect on the Kyuubi?"

"No, you have an effect on me." He answered slowly, cautiously. "I... I think that I want to be with you... When you were captured, I was sad, I didn't want to lose you... but even before that..."

Poor Hinata would have fainted if she hadn't sat on her bed at that moment. But instead of blushing and fainting, she blushed with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

"I think... I love you." He finished, then stared straight at his feet and forced back a blush.

_This must be a dream. _Hinata thought. _He just said he loves me. But..._

"Hinata?" Naruto asked after a few moments of silence. "Are you okay?"

That was all she could take, so much blood rushed to her head that she just passed out on the bed, a very large smile on her face.

"Oh boy..." Naruto heaved a sigh, then went to tuck her into bed. "Looks like we'll have to test that theory another time."

After he had finished, he left the room to see a grinning Genka. "Oh shit."

"I love that you suck at fighting against Genjutsu." She grinned even more and cast the same old sleep jutsu on him. "You'll sleep well tonight."

"I'll get... you for... this..."

* * *

In a place called Konoha, a tall blonde man stood atop his own head, looking over the city with a sad glint in his bright blue eyes. His shook his head, as if to show that he did not approve of something in the village.

After another moment, the man dissolved into the air, reappearing just outside the village walls. He started taking the path that led northeast from Konoha.

The figure walked slowly and patiently, his eyes closed but he could still see the path. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked up at the sky. _He had a good reason._

* * *

**-End of Chapter Sixteen-**

**Revised on 9/5/2011**


	17. Restarting Old Wars

**-Chapter Seventeen-**

* * *

"Hmm... they both wake up around the same time, so things should get interesting in about... three minutes or less." Genka grinned.

Shuuzen - now back to her natural white hair and pink eyes - dropped forward in an exasperated slouch. "I hope you know what you're doing. This could completely ruin their relationship."

One of Genka's veins became visible on her forehead. "How's this different that what I did to them on the couch?"

"Naruto hadn't accepted his feelings yet, and Hinata didn't know he had them." Shuuzen explained. "Now that they both know, it's all different."

"Um..." Sasame interrupted as she walked out of her room, finding the two women whispering at each other. "What's going on?"

"You're just in time for the show!" Genka grinned. "It's a listen-only show I'm afraid, but it should be interesting. Well, that is, it should be interesting if they freak out. But it would be just as good if they didn't."

"What we want." Shuuzen said, her eyebrow just barely twitching. "Is for them _not_ to freak out."

"What are you talking about?" Sasame asked, but she had a pretty good idea what it was. "You didn't..."

"Oh, but I did."

"They're not..."

"Oh, but they are."

"Oh boy..." Sasame sighed and started walking down the hallway. "I'm going to go get some food while Naruto beats you into a coma."

"She's right, you know." Shuuzen said. "He won't be happy about this."

"Bah." Genka shrugged them off. "He'll thank me for this someday."

"I doubt that."

Inside Hinata's bedroom, she was just waking up. The first thing she noticed was a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Then the warmth of the person in the futon with her, and his breathing on the back of her neck. Then the smell of ramen.

_What? _She blushed immediately. _What is he doing!_

He was starting to wake up now, but he didn't really need to examine his surroundings to know what was going on. "Genka... I'll kill her..." he murmured.

Hinata calmed down when she heard this. _Genka-sansei..._ She sighed. Now that she didn't think that Naruto _himself_ had done this, she was a lot more comfortable. Even with the severely awkward position they were in. "Was she right?"

Naruto chuckled. "She's always right. It makes me sick."

Hinata blushed. "So you..."

"Um..." He realized what she must have been thinking. "I slept last night. I haven't had a good night's sleep in a long time..."

She noticed that his arms were no longer wrapped around her, and that the warmth was no longer there. She turned onto her other side to see that he was sitting up. And he was _blushing._

"Naruto?"

"Sorry..." He grinned nervously and scratched his head. "I... uh... need to go beat up Genka now."

They heard the sound of footsteps near the door. Someone was running away.

"And there she is..." His eyebrow twitched, then he got out of bed and headed to the door. "Want something to eat?"

Hinata nodded, still blushing as much as she had when she realized that he was there. She knew exactly what he was going to bring. _Might as well get used to eating ramen..._

"Okay, I might be a few minutes. I need to deal with something first." He opened the door to find Shuuzen standing on the other side, a few feet away.

"She went that way." She said, pointing down the hall. "Have fun."

Hinata shook her head as she listened. When she heard Naruto run off in pursuit of Genka, she laid back down and closed her eyes, tightly hugging a pillow.

* * *

Sasame was sitting in the living area, eating breakfast, when she heard the screaming.

"I'll kill you!" Came Naruto's voice.

"It was for your own good!" Genka defended.

"Bah!"

The next sound was rapid footsteps. The two were chasing each other around the house. Sasame sipped her tea and listened.

A while later, both Naruto and Genka were getting breakfast and glaring at each other. But Genka suddenly grinned. "So, did you sleep well last night?"

Naruto choked. "Shut up!"

"Well did you?"

He groaned. "Leave me alone."

Naruto walked back upstairs, leaving Sasame and Genka behind. Shuuzen walked past him, headed down for breakfast.

"He's happier than he has been in a long time." Genka smiled happily. "It's good to see him acting like that again. He's just starting to unwind after a year's worth of stress."

Shuuzen laughed. "I know that's not what you had planned on."

"Nope." Genka said with a smile. "I had planned on some embarrassed yelping from both of them, but this works too."

* * *

"I feel good as new!" Osanai stretched as he woke up in the temporary hospital. "That woman's seriously good at what she does."

"Osanai-sama." One of the nurses saw that he was up out of bed. "How do you feel?"

"Great!" He grinned. "I'm off to see Naruto."

"Okay, but mind what you eat." She said calmly, like all nurses somehow do. "Your stomach may be healed, but for a little while it might be easy to damage it."

"Okay."

He left the building and walked across the village, admiring all the villagers' hard work. The rebuilding effort was coming along smoothly. Most of the main areas had been cleared of debris, but the areas farther from the center were still littered with rocks and boulders. Many of the people's homes had been rebuilt, but it might be a while before they could get electricity again.

It would be a difficult task getting electricity, because they used to have a contract with the city to the north. But now, they weren't supposed to exist. _Hmm... I'll have to do something about that soon._ He sighed.

Soon, he was at the Shugokage building. He walked in, he being member after all, and found Shuuzen, Sasame and Genka all eating in the living area.

"Where are Naruto and Hinata?" He asked.

"They're upstairs." Genka answered.

"Why?"

"Who knows?" She sighed. "He told her he loves her last night, so there's really no telling. But I'm willing to bet it has a lot of blushing, and some eating. Maybe a little bit of talking, and not much else."

Everyone was silent. But they all knew she was probably right.

Shuuzen sighed. "Oh, but what do you hope they're doing, Genka?"

She grinned. "I shouldn't say that around these kids."

Everyone else tilted their heads to the side, and their faces twitched a little bit.

"What makes you any better than Jiraiya?" Sasame asked calmly, taking a bite from her rice ball.

"You're all crazy..." Osanai groaned. "Every last one of you."

"It's fun, you should try it!" Genka laughed.

* * *

The two teens were doing exactly as Genka had guessed: Sitting on Hinata's futon, eating and being silent. Well, Hinata was eating. Naruto had been done for a little while, and decided to break the silence.

"When we left, I told myself that this wouldn't happen."

Hinata took a moment to swallow her ramen. "What wouldn't?"

He groaned, not very excited about explaining. "I wasn't supposed to... like you..."

Hinata blushed again, but said nothing.

"I mean... I'm confused." He said. "I don't know what to do."

Hinata put her half-finished bowl of ramen on the floor, mostly because she was already full. "I... I love you." She said, as if it was something she'd never told him before.

"I know..." He said quietly, a stark contrast to what he had said the first time she revealed her feelings to him.

More silence...

"Naruto... Do you really love me?" She asked, confused, pleading and hopeful all at once.

Naruto nodded.

"What's wrong?"

He sighed. "I just don't know what to do..."

Hinata thought for a moment, then blushed. "We could-"

Her words were interrupted by the sound of a loud alarm coming from outside**  
**

"What!" She gasped. "What's that?"

"I don't know!" Naruto shouted as he jumped off the bed and looked out the window. "It sounds like an alarm. There's something going on out there, somewhere."

"What do you mean?"

"I can feel... something. I don't know what it is, but it's familiar..." His face wrinkled in concentration. "Something that shouldn't be here... A person..." His eyes widened suddenly. "Oh shit!"

Hinata stood up and watched Naruto hurry downstairs and presumably outside, wondering what could be going on.

Naruto reached the bottom of the stairs to see Osanai, as well as the rest of Shugokage. "Osanai, what's that noise?"

"A new intruder alarm." He explained. "You can't be seen here by anyone, let us handle it."

"You want me to just sit back while something might be happening out there?" He screamed. "It's got something to do with me, I can feel it."

"Well then you'd better shut up and hide, all of you!" Osanai shot back. "If you are all discovered here, we might not ever be able to do whatever the hell you're trying to do with this group."

Naruto got ready to shoot back a reply before Genka pulled a hand over his mouth. "Shuuzen and I can both alter our appearances, let us come with you, Hinata and Sasame can keep him here."

"Sounds good to me." Osanai said, running out the door. "Come on, but make sure Naruto stays behind!"

"Oh no..." Naruto saw the grin on Genka's face. "What are you going to do to me?"

"Talk to Hinata-chan, for once I'm not going to be here to tease you about it." She laughed aloud. "Take advantage of that."

And with that, she was out the door, followed quickly by a redhead who was presumably Shuuzen.

"Sasame, what's going on?" Naruto asked quickly.

"I don't know, but we shouldn't get involved." She answered.

"Screw that!" Naruto shot off before heading back upstairs. "I'm going to see if I can catch anything from the roof."

Within a minute, he was on the roof with the two other girls. Unfortunately though, they were on the side of the village farthest from the gate. And with the partial collapse of the mountain, the village was now almost three miles wide.

"What do you see, Hinata?" Naruto asked anxiously.

"One person." She answered. "Osanai's team hasn't reached him yet, but the guards are both unconscious, judging by their chakra signature."

"What can you tell us about him?"

"He's very powerful, and very confident. We're too far away for me to get a good look at his features, I can only see his chakra from here... Osanai's team has arrived! But he's staying behind with Genka-sensei and Shuuzen-sensei."

"What's happening?"

Hinata watched for a few seconds before her eyes widened. "He knocked them all out, in one blow."

Sasame decided to interject her opinion now. "Not many people are that powerful..."

"And only one of those people." Naruto said. "Would come here for me at this time."

"Huh?" Sasame asked as Hinata kept watching.

"Stay here." Naruto said as he jumped onto the nearest roof, then the next, continuing toward the confrontation as fast as his legs could carry him. _How did he find us?_

* * *

"You!"

"You!"

They both shouted at the same moment, with the same surprise in their voices.

Genka was the first to regain her voice. "What the hell are you doing here, pervert?"

"I should ask _you_ the same question! I know your regular disguise anywhere!" The white-haired man shot back.

"I asked you first!" She said, seemingly towering over him.

"It's not your-" He stopped short as he realized what she must have been doing here. "You're here with him, aren't you?"

"You don't want to screw with him." She said threateningly. "He's finally happy, for the first time in years! And I'm not going to let you through and pull them apart again!"

"He's my student!" Jiraiya yelled back. "My best student! I don't want him to ruin his life."

"If anything is happening to him out here, it's the best thing that's ever happened in his life." She said, trying to calm down. "This past year, he's been trying to single-handedly fix every problem in the world, and he's finally got it through his thick skull that there's really someone out there that wants to help him."

"What are you talking about?" Jiraiya asked, confused about just about everything she had said. "Trying to fix the world?"

"It's not Konoha's business!" She huffed.

"For twenty years, I traveled away from Konoha." He said back. "I am only attached to the village through my title, nothing more. I came here to help my student, not to bring any 'villain' to justice."

"Jiraiya." Came another voice, this was a familiar one. "What do you want?"

"I want to know why you left." He said. "I heard that Hinata was returned, but you personally came to Konoha to get her out. I want to know what you are doing away from your home village."

Naruto kept silent, but you could practically feel his scowl. "I can't tell you." He said after a moment. "I can't trust you."

"Naruto!" He yelled. "If there's anyone in the world you can trust, it's me!"

"You have one chance."

"What's that?" Jiraiya smiled.

"Turn your back on the village." Naruto said quietly.

* * *

"What's going on?" Sasame asked Hinata. They had gotten much closer to the confrontation, and from this distance, Hinata could clearly see what was going on. But she still couldn't hear.

"They're not fighting anymore." She answered. "Jiraiya and Naruto are talking, but Naruto doesn't look happy."

"Jiraiya's still with Konoha, isn't he?" Sasame asked. "So, what will we do?"

"I don't know..." Hinata sighed. "We either get him on our side, or..."

"Or what?" Sasame asked, not sure if she really wanted to know.

"There are many things that we could do, but we might have to fight him."

"fight Jiraiya?" Sasame was surprised. "He's legendary!"

"I don't think he'd be able to fight Naruto." Hinata answered. "He wouldn't let himself do it."

"Let's get over there before they do anything too rash." Sasame decided.

"That's a good idea." Hinata agreed. "Let's go."

* * *

"Turn my back on Konoha?" Jiraiya repeated with an air of astonishment. "What's wrong, Naruto? For as long as I've known you, you only wanted them to acknowledge you, but now..."

Naruto grunted. "As long as this Hokage lives, Konoha is my enemy."

"Why, Naruto?"

This was something Jiraiya had never seen before. All of the blonde boy's anger showed through. All of the sadness, all of the confusion, all of the fear, all of the wisdom, it all showed. "He killed Tsunade."

Jiraiya's eyes widened. As unbelievable as it was, he knew that his student was no liar, especially on the subject of death, or people that are important to him. "You're serious..."

"Will you serve a murderer, or will you fight against him?" This time it was Genka, in one of her rare-but-true serious moods. "That's the choice that's been laid out before you."

Jiraiya's gaze shifted between the two, confused and – surprisingly – overwhelmed. "I was taught to follow my heart." He said quietly. "So that is what I will do."

"The Third Hokage's wisdom." Genka smiled.

"Yes." He replied.

"So, what does your heart say?" She asked.

"It says..." He hesitated, thinking for a moment. "That I should return to Konoha."

Naruto, Shuuzen and Genka all gasped, but he wasn't done yet.

With a grin, he continued. "To inform Hokage-sama that both former Konoha members are still at large, and that their bodies were not found in the ruins of what was once Waterfall village. And I will continue my search for Naruto." He said, looking at the blonde. "To take my place as Toad Sanin, as soon as possible. The others have already been chosen."

Naruto's mouth hung open. "Me?" He asked, surprised. "Who are the others?"

Jiraiya smiled. "You'll be very proud of your teammate. Haruno Sakura was chosen by Tsunade before her death."

"Who's the other one?" Naruto asked, curious.

His smile faded. "Naruto, there was one team that exceeded the expectations that the entire village had for them, in terms of power, skill and accomplishment. That is your team... Team Seven"

Naruto's mouth slowly opened.

"Orochimaru has chosen his successor." He said. "I don't understand why, but for some reason, he has told me that Sasuke is to be the next Serpent Sannin."

"That means..." Osanai turned to Naruto.

"That the you will both be in Konoha for the ceremony." He replied. "You must be on your guard when that day comes."

"But that will tie me to the village..." Naruto protested.

"I have been a Sannin for over thirty years." Jiraiya replied. "Twenty-five of which were spent far away from Konoha. You will only be tied to the village by your title, but free to roam the world without worrying about being searched for by the ANBU."

Naruto's look of bewilderment showed all of them just how unexpected this all was. But his face quickly turned upset. "What about Hinata?"

Jiraiya looked frustrated. "She will remain the B-class missing-nin that she is currently, and it will be assumed that because you 'serve' the village you will no longer associate with her."

"But they'll look for her..."

"They won't look for her, unless Hiashi sends a team of Hyuugas personally." He replied. "Which is highly unlikely."

"Oh..." Naruto wasn't quite as excited anymore.

Jiraiya smiled a bit. "It's up to you, really. If you choose not to, then I'll just wait a generation. I've got at least that much longer to live."

"Yeah..."

* * *

Naruto walked back to the Shugokage house slowly, thinking about everything Jiraiya had told him.

They had told the blonde to go back to the house. Even though it was still morning, it felt to him like it had been a long day. He needed something to wind down, all of this news had been sudden, unexpected.

"Naruto." Came a friendly voice. "We're all behind you, no matter what you do."

"Thanks, Osanai." Naruto gave his friend a small smile. "That means a lot to me. But I need to think about this. If I accept, then I'll be free in a way, Konoha won't hunt me down. But Hinata will still have her missing-nin status."

"What do you mean?" Osanai asked. "Isn't it better that they wouldn't look for you?"

"Yeah, it is... but I still don't know."

"I'll leave you alone." Osanai said. "So you can think."

Osanai went back to his duties, leaving Naruto wandering in the rubble-laden outer reaches of the village. He sat on a boulder and stared at the bright sky above him. It had always been unsettling to him, a sky with no clouds and no sun. And with no moon or stars at night.

"What am I supposed to do?" He asked nobody in particular.

**It doesn't matter to me. **Came a reply from the single most unwanted replier. **If you take the offer, you get to be free. Either way, you can get your revenge.**

_Yeah..._ Naruto thought. _Sasuke... and the Hokage..._

**You need to become more powerful to defeat Sasuke. **The Kyuubi said. **Only I can give you that power.**

_Only you... _Naruto hated to admit, but it was true. _But what will you get?_

**I will be one step closer to freedom. **The Kyuubi said with an entertained laugh. **And you have no choice. If you ever hope to beat them, you need me.**

_I don't need you! _He shouted mentally. _I can become stronger on my own!_

**That's probably what he said, but he realized that Orochimaru was right. He needed Orochimaru's power, just like you need mine. You can't avoid it.**

_No..._

**You will see... in time, you will see just how weak you are. Everything you hold dear, it all holds you down. There is no power in love, there is power in hatred. You know this, you've used it yourself.**

_I will gain power in my own way! _Naruto shot back.

"Naruto?"

"Huh?" He turned around to see Shuuzen standing behind him. "What is it?"

"Hinata's been wondering where you were, nobody's seen you in an hour or two, when Osanai was here."

"It's been that long?" He was surprised, it had only seemed like a few minutes.

"Yeah." She said. "You really should go see her."

"Yeah, okay." He replied.

"I'll go to the house, you can stay here a few more minutes." She said. "But you should come soon."

* * *

"Naruto?" A girl's voice came as he opened the door, but it wasn't Hinata. "Where were you?"

"Hey." He said. "Just thinking."

"Shouldn't you be a bit more excited about this?" She asked. "It's a really big deal."

"I don't know." He sighed. "I'm just confused." He waved goodbye before heading back upstairs, to where he knew Hinata was. _I'll always be able to find her. It looks like Kyuubi's powers are really helping me for once._

"Hinata." He said, knocking lightly on her door. "Can I come in?"

He heard footsteps coming to the door, and she quickly opened it. There was a warm smile on her face and an equally warm blush. But both the smile and blush faded when she saw the troubled expression on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Jiraiya wants me to be the next Toad Sannin." He answered as he walked in and sat on the bed, slouching forward.

"That's amazing!" She exclaimed and sat next to him. "How is that bad news? I mean... oh." Her excitement faded as she realized that this wasn't really a good thing.

"I'll be able to stay away from Konoha, and they won't hunt me anymore." He said.

Hinata got confused at this. "What's wrong with that?"

"You'll still be a missing-nin." He answered.

"But you can have more freedom if you accept." She said with a smile.

"I know... I just don't know why I'm having so much trouble with this. It's already been a long day, and I just don't know what to do."

Hinata didn't respond, not vocally at least. Instead, she leaned toward him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I know you'll make the right choice."

Naruto's troubles seemed to dissolve, at least for the moment. He smiled at the girl. "Not as shy as you were this morning?"

Hinata blushed when she realized exactly what she was doing, but she didn't move. "Do you really..." She trailed off, not willing to say it, afraid that it might jinx it.

"Yeah." He smiled a bit more. "I do."

"Morons! Both of you!" They heard Genka yelling from the hall.

Naruto and Hinata quickly separated, Hinata blushing madly. She only blushed more when she noticed that there were two figures standing in the doorway: Genka and Jiraiya.

"What are you calling me a moron for this time?" Naruto groaned, pretending that nothing had happened.

"Well, for one: You left the door open! Jeez, did you seriously think I would be gone all day?" She said with a half-smile. "And second: Just say it!"

She transformed into Naruto. "I love you, Hinata-chan."

She then transformed into Hinata. "I love you too, Naruto-kun."

Back into herself. "It's not that hard!"

Naruto folded his arms while Hinata blushed more. The blonde just now noticed that Jiraiya was pointing at him, twitching slightly. "Ero-sennin..."

"Were you just cuddling with Hyuuga Hinata?" His mouth dropped a bit, then came back up in a grin resembling Genka's. "Looks like you learned my charm too!"

"What's so surprising about it?" Naruto asked, just barely able to ignore the other comment.

"Do you know how much money is in that family? And they're so exclusive, a Hyuuga almost never marries outside the family!, and here _you_ are, snuggling with Konoha's most eligible bachelorette." He grinned a bit more, with a slightly lustful look in his eyes and gave a thumbs-up. "By the way... I approve!"

Naruto looked _very_ annoyed. "I _really_ don't want to know what it is you approve of."

"That's a stupid question!" Jiraiya exclaimed, but Genka dragged him away by the ear before he could get any further. She was mumbling something hypocritical about perverts that interfere in others' love lives.

"That was weird..." Naruto's eye twitched. He turned to Hinata, who was beet-red. He hoped that she didn't know what Jiraiya meant.

But she did. "Am I..." She looked down at her own chest. "I mean..."

_Oh damn. _Naruto smiled nervously. _There's no way out of this one._

* * *

An aide knocked on the door to the Kazekage's office. "Kazekage-sama."

No reply.

"Kazekage-sama!" He knocked a little harder. _It was a new moon last night, he must still be asleep. _The aide sighed. _Well, he deserves it. I guess we'll have to decline the invitation._

The invitation, a message from Stone. It addressed the leaders of all Shinobi villages, except the Hokage. All of the Kages, save the one from Konoha, were to meet secretly in Stone to discuss the matter of Konoha's attacking Waterfall.

Were they to believe Konoha's claims of an imminent attack on their own borders by waterfall, or were they to assume that this new Hokage was up to no good? What were the intentions of Konoha; simply self-preservation, or simply destruction?

The Tsuchikage was once an enemy of Konoha, but signed the Peace Treaty with Third Hokage, and the treaty was respected by the Fifth Hokage. But while the Sixth Hokage had not broken the treaty, the circumstances were still suspicious.

There had been no other reports, save those from Konoha, of any threat to the village in Fire Country. Tsuchikage didn't trust the new Hokage, and had arranged for all other Kages and village leaders to assemble in Stone, but few would accept.

But he only needed a few. Only a few village leaders' signatures, and the treaty would be void.

He could denounce the new Konoha as a terror regime, and attack with the cover of his claims. It didn't matter to him who believed the claims, or what the repercussions would be, he believed that this Hokage was not to be trusted. And as long as he could get this far, the rest of them would unwittingly fall into place, just like the last Great Shinobi War.

Other villages would hold their own secret meetings. The treaty holding them all to peace would be out of their way, they could declare war on their respective enemies.

The only village that had not signed the Treaty was Sound, and that was simply because it didn't exist when the Treaty was written. That is why they were able to attack Konoha without political repercussions. Sand had only played a role as a puppet in the attack, so they were also immune to political accusations.

But that would all change.

The Great Shinobi War would start again.

* * *

**-End of Chapter Seventeen-**

**Revised on 9/6/2011**


	18. The Fluff Before the Storm

**-Chapter Eighteen: The Fluff Before The Storm-**

* * *

"I approve!" Jiraiya grinned and gave a thumbs-up.

"I _really_ don't want to know what it is you approve of." Naruto said with an extremely annoyed voice and expression.

"That's a stupid question!" Jiraiya said, but couldn't finish because Genka dragged him away by the ear.

But the damage had already been done, Hinata blushed impossibly and looked at her own chest. "Am I... I mean..."

Naruto pondered for what felt like an hour, but only a second or two had passed since she asked the question. "Hinata, you're beautiful."

She blushed and smiled, a sweet, refreshing smile. Then she fell over into her bed, faking that she fainted because of the excitement. She didn't know how to respond other than happy laughter, and didn't want to do that in front of him - that was still too embarrassing.

"Well, I meant it..." Naruto laughed softly. "I guess I should leave her alone until she wakes up..."

* * *

Naruto left her room, heading toward the living area. It was – so far – the most interesting birthday he'd ever had. He had been asked to become a Sannin. He had been informed that if he chose to become a Sannin, he would see Sasuke again.

He had told Hinata about his secrets – well, that was the day before, but it counted as today. He had woken up cuddling her.

"Naruto, you look happy." Shuuzen said as he entered the room.

He realized that there was a huge grin on his face. "Heh, Yeah."

"Where's Hinata?" Asked Genka, who for once was actually not the one with the upper hand. "You didn't leave her in there did you? Stupid..."

He smiled nervously. "She fainted."

"Pervert..." Genka glared at Jiraiya. "This is your fault."

"No." Naruto interrupted. "Well, yes. But it's okay." He scratched the back of his head.

"So, are you really seeing Hinata?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

"Well, not exactly..." Naruto responded, careful not to trip over his words.

"So, why did you take her with you then?" He asked, this time a bit more serious. "That's what everyone in Konoha wants to know."

"I don't really know." Naruto started as he sat down on one of the chairs. "She stopped me at the gates, when I was leaving. I told her not to bother with me, but she kept insisting on coming with me. I thought it was annoying at first, but I let her come."

"I thought that she would want to go back to Konoha after a while, so I kept my old forehead protector. She cut hers, and I put on Sasuke's old one." He said, pointing at his forehead, where it was still tied. "If she wanted to go back, I would give her mine and tell her to make up a story about how I kidnapped her but she escaped. Everyone would have believed it."

Jiraiya nodded sadly. It was true, everyone would have believed it. "But she never decided to go back, did she?"

"No. She just kept going. She's a lot like me, except she's smart, nice, cute, calm and focused." He said with a laugh. "I always thought she was the farthest thing from being like me, but I was wrong. She's determined and brave, and she wants people to see her for who she really is."

Jiraiya watched the smile on his old pupil's mouth. "People who grow up in difficult situations usually wind up like Sasuke: cold and distant." He said. "But you and Hinata both grew up in a similar way to him. You never knew a loving family, and her loving family – her mother - died when she was young, leaving her with her overbearing father."

"But you both turned out to be wonderful people." He said with a smile. "I've never seen someone as strong-willed or determined as you are, and you seem to have a knack for doing what is right, whether you know what you're doing or not."

"And he usually doesn't know what he's doing." Genka injected with a grin. "But I've noticed the same things with her. Only, she's a girl and likes to talk and stuff. She even teamed up with Shuuzen once and they got me to put on makeup for a purpose other than to disguise myself."

"Naruto." Jiraiya said to get his attention. "You should know that that is one hell of a huge accomplishment, getting Genka to do anything girly."

"It's best not to ask why." Shuuzen said, saving Genka the trouble of going through that sad story again.

"So, I hear you trained with Ryoku." Jiraiya said with a smile.

"Yeah... What's the big deal?"

"Naruto." Jiraiya laughed lightly. "He's like you as well, but in a different way."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, heavily confused.

"He also has a tailed beast sealed inside of him. Only Five-tails is different than Kyuubi or Shukaku. It was a guardian of Rain for thousands of years, but it was dying from a wound it had received in a fight against Fourtails. The priests decided that, if it was willing, they could seal it into a human's body. It was only supposed to be a temporary fix, until they could find a way to heal Five-tails' body."

"They still haven't found a way." Jiraiya said. "Very few people in Rain know about this, and they sent him to Snow, where he trains their elite Jounins, to keep the secret hidden."

"He's told me" Genka started talking again. "that he talks with it regularly. It's a kind being, of infinite knowledge, the wisest of the nine Bijuu. While it is the wisest, it is the weakest in terms of raw power."

"What kind of animal was it?" Naruto asked.

"It was a dog." She answered.

"So, we know of two more people like me..." He grinned. "Now we just need to get them on our side."

"Huh?" Genka was puzzled.

Jiraiya smirked. "That would be amazing, Naruto."

"What are you two talking about?" Genka asked.

"Long ago." Naruto said. "The nine Bijuu were guardians of the earth. What better force to save it than the containers of the Nine Guardians?"

"And how do _you _know this?"

"He told me." Naruto said, pointing at Jiraiya. "He's useful when you need to pass your history test, or when you're in a fight. Otherwise, he's just a pervert."

"He's right." Jiraiya nodded. "I am smart and I'm an excellent fighter, but I just can't pull myself away from the love of women."

"Okay..." Genka wished the author had never written that line. "You know what, I don't consider clinically insane anymore, because I've realized that Jiraiya is the genuine specimen of insanity."

Jiraiya decided against throwing a rude comeback, but instead just shook his head.

"So, Naruto." Shuuzen interjected. "What will you do if she wakes up while you're out here."

"I think I'll manage." Naruto grinned widely.

"So, was I right?" Genka asked knowingly.

"Yes..." He groaned. "You were right."

"So, what does that mean?" She asked, a giddy smile on her face.

Naruto didn't say anything.

"You'll need to sleep with her every night from now on." This time, it was Shuuzen. That surprised everyone, she wasn't one to support Genka's ideas very often. "It's very important that you do."

Naruto's jaw dropped, he had expected that answer, but not from that person. And not with another statement to back it up. "Um... why is it so important? In the last year, I've managed to get up to three weeks without any sleep."

Shuuzen shook her head. "That's only a small part of it. I think that Kyuubi is doing all of this for a reason, and it's best for everyone if we can undo what's possibly already been done. So far, the only thing we know of that might do this is Hinata."

"Wipe that grin off your face." Genka said with a laugh, he probably didn't even realize he was smiling. "This is serious."

"Are we going to force her to do this?" Naruto objected. "I mean, she will if we tell her why. But she'll probably only be doing it because of Kyuubi. I don't want that."

"Sorry, Naruto." Shuuzen said with a shrug. "It's the best we can do for now. And besides, I don't think she'll mind."

Naruto stayed quiet, thinking about everything they had just told him. "Eh, I'll be back later." He said, then got up and left the room.

* * *

Naruto walked into Hinata's room. It was her room, but if Shuuzen and Genka had their way, he would be sharing it with her. "Hinata? Are you awake?"

He only heard a small sound as confirmation. It wasn't really an embarrassed noise, nor a shy one. It was more of a sigh or a moan than anything else.

"Umm..." He said, staring at the ceiling. "I..."

Hinata sat up and asked sleepily. "What is it?"

"Well... Shuuzen said... and Genka..." He scratched the back of his head. "I mean, not really but..."

She waited patiently.

"Hinata... will you sleep with me every night?"

You could almost hear her face turn red. She could definitely hear it, with all that blood rushing to her head. "You... want me to..."

"Ahh, don't faint again!" He pleaded. "I'd just have to ask again when you wake up!"

"Ground rules:" They heard – of course- Genka's voice from behind Naruto. "We can't handle Hinata getting pregnant, or the little kids that would result of such actions."

Naruto sweat-dropped. "I told you, I'm _not_ like Jiraiya."

"You'd be surprised what you might want to do."

"GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" As he comically leaped toward her and screamed, embarrassed, with a voice so loud that Hinata thought it might make the mountain above their heads collapse completely.

"Geez..." She complained as she walked out the door.

Hinata was fully "awake" now, and the situation was starting to seep in. "You want to sleep with _me?_"

"Well..." He said, starting to sweat. "I mean..."

"Answer honestly, idiot." Genka said from the hall.

Naruto sweat-dropped. "It's up to you..."

Hinata shook her head. "I mean, _you_ want to?"

"Well... hang on." He said, then walked out into the hall. A few seconds later, crashing noises could be heard, then after that he returned. "This is kind of weird... I mean..." _Of course I do! I loved it!_

"If you don't want to, then I'd understand."

"MORON!" Came Genka's voice.

"Fine!" He yelled back, then turned again to Hinata with a smile. "Yeah, I want to."

The girl blushed and got off the bed, then walked over and hugged the blonde kid. "You don't just want this because of your sleep, do you?"

Naruto decided not to answer vocally, but still with his mouth. He kissed her forehead and left his lips pressed against her smooth, pale skin.

A flash of light went off.

"Awwww, so cute."

The two teens didn't even notice, which of course took all the fun out of it for Genka. She walked away to leave them alone, finally. _I still have this picture!_

* * *

The picture had appeared on the paper a few moments later, Genka and Shuuzen were arguing over what to do with it.

"Let's just scrapbook it or something, or at the very least, not do anything until we find out what they want. They might not want anyone to find out about this whole thing." Shuuzen reasoned.

"But it's just so juicy!" Genka complained. "I thought you liked teasing her!"

"Only when it involves her and him, I don't want to get anyone else tangled in the situation."

"You're no fun." Genka said with a huff. "Hey, Ero-Sennin. When are you leaving?"

"Tonight." Jiraiya replied, eye twitching. "I'll go reconfirm the destruction of Waterfall, and tell the Hokage that I've got a lead on Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata's path."

"No you won't." Came a familiar voice.

"Naruto? What do you mean?"

Naruto smiled happily. "I'll explain later."

Another noise was heard, the sound of a knife embedding itself into the wall. Genka looked at her – now empty – hand. "Hey, the picture!" She looked at the wall, a knife was stuck through one of the corners, pinning it to the wood.

Naruto grinned and turned to Genka. "And we'll be keeping that."

Genka turned around to see the person who had thrown the knife. She wasn't surprised to see Hinata. "You two aren't going to make it easy for me are you?" Genka said with a laugh. "It'll be more fun this way!"

Hinata couldn't help but laugh with her. But after a moment, she became more serious. "Sensei, please don't tell the others about Naruto and I... well..." She blushed and looked away.

"Okay." Shuuzen responded quickly, before her friend could object.

"Fine." Genka grumbled.

* * *

The following night, Neji, Kiba, Sakura and Lee had met up, somehow they were all in the village together at the same time.

"Hinata-sama got away again..." Neji sighed. "Hiashi-sama won't be happy when he returns from his mission."

"Why the hell does he care?" Kiba groaned.

"Politics." Sakura suggested.

"Yes..." Neji confirmed.

"It is good that Hinata-sama and Naruto-kun have been reunited!" Lee said with a shiny smile. "Their love is almost as great and pure as ours!" He said and squeezed Sakura's hand.

Neji decided to pretend he never heard that. He still didn't exactly like the idea of Hinata and Naruto being in love, especially if they were out all alone. "It didn't seem that way to me, Lee. Hinata-sama seemed to feel that way, but Naruto was acting strangely..."

Lee thought for a moment. Neji was right, but then... "Naruto-kun returned to rescue her! He must feel something!"

"That's not the reason why we came here." Kiba interrupted quickly. "We're here to figure out exactly what we're going to do about this. We'll probably run into them much more in the future."

"Kiba's right." Neji said with a nod. "We've been bumping into them a lot over the past month, so we'll probably be seeing them a lot in the future."

"What are we going to do?" Sakura wondered aloud. "They're classified as criminals..."

"Yes..." Neji said. "But something is bothering me."

"What's up?" Kiba asked.

"Naruto's criminal status..." He hesitated.

"What about it?" Kiba asked, confused.

Lee knew what he meant. "It's not withheld from people of your rank, but all Jounin need to memorize the Bingo Book, while Chuunin usually don't read it."

"Yeah..." Sakura wondered what they were talking about.

Neji held up the Bingo Book, opened to the page holding the information for Naruto and Hinata.

**#K1016002 - Hyuuga Hinata**

Nationality: Fire Country

Home Village: Konohagakure

Last Seen: Konohagakure

Description: Approx five feet, four inches. 46 kilograms, dark hair, white eyes.

Defining Features: No pupils

Specialty(ies): unknown

Bloodline(s): Byakugan, Jyuuken

Strength(s): Unknown

Weakness(es): Unknown

Ninja Rank: Genin

Skill Rank: Unknown, assume Jounin

Alias(es): None

To be Considered: Unpredictable

Status: B

Other Notes: Follows Uzumaki Naruto. (See entry #K1016001)

**#K1016001 - Uzumaki Naruto**

Nationality: Fire Country

Home Village: Konohagakure

Last Seen: Konohagakure

Description: Approx. Six Feet tall, 62 Kilograms, Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes.

Defining Features: Birthmark on both sides of face, resembles whiskers.

Specialty(ies): Kage Bunshin, Kuchiyose, Rasengan.

Bloodline(s): None, or unknown.

Strength(s): Brawling, Power, Stamina, Brute Force

Weakness(es): Finesse

Ninja Rank: Genin

Skill rank: Special Jounin

Alias(es): Yellow Fox

To be Considered: Extremely dangerous and unstable.

Status: S

Other Notes: Extremely dangerous, exercise extreme caution.

Kiba gasped. "Special Jounin? S-rank? Extremely dangerous and unstable?"

"Yes." Neji answered. "The S-rank status is what concerns me, as well as his skill rank."

"Special Jounin..." Sakura stared at the paperback book. "How did he get that strong?"

"He trained with Jiraiya-sama." Came a quiet voice from behind Kiba. They all turned to see Kakashi standing there, and all instantly realized that his usual tone of voice – cool and on top of things – seemed to be gone. He almost seemed sad. "Neji, Lee. The Bingo Book you currently hold is outdated as of today. Here are your new issues." He said, handing the books to the two Jounins. "You'll find more information about the two you're reading about right now in there."

Lee opened his book to the index, found the page that Naruto and Hinata were on and turned to that page. His eyes widened and he re-read the words to make sure he wasn't looking in the wrong place.

"What's wrong, Lee?" Neji asked.

Lee held his book out for the others to see:

**#K1016002D - Hyuuga Hinata**

Deceased

**#k1016001D – Uzumaki Naruto**

Deceased

Kiba stared at the words. _Deceased... _"What the hell?"

Kakashi tossed another object at him. A Konoha headband, a straight line cut through the metal forehead protector. "Jiraiya brought this back. Naruto's headband."

Neji picked up the fabric and metal. "Kiba, have Akamaru smell this."

"'Kay." Kiba took it and gave it to Akamaru. The dog gave an affirmative bark. Kiba sighed. "Yeah, it's his... or it was."

The other three couldn't believe it. Could Naruto really be dead?

But Neji had a strange feeling about this whole predicament, they were all missing something very important, but what could it be?

* * *

_Naruto..._

_Not now... I'm sleeping._

_Wake up!_

_Who is it?_

_Who the hell do you think it is? Well... okay, who do you know that can speak to your mind?_

_Kyuubi. But you're not him._

_What the hell? You speak to that thing?_

_Not much._

_Whatever. I'm the one that put the Kyuubi inside you._

That got his eyes open. And when he opened them, he saw Hinata's face. When he turned around though, he saw someone who he didn't expect. "What the hell? You're dead."

_Not as much as some may think._

* * *

**-End of Chapter Eighteen-**

**Revised on 9/6/2011  
**


	19. Wrath of the Gods

**-Chapter Nineteen: Wrath of the Gods-**

* * *

Naruto awoke with a start. The first thing he saw was Hinata, who – not surprisingly – was wrapped in his arms. But that wasn't the reason he woke up, the reason was standing behind him.

He turned around on the bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping kunoichi. "What the hell? You're dead."

Yondaime grinned. _Not as much as most think. And don't talk aloud, we shouldn't wake her._

Naruto was just plain confused now. He was talking, well, communicating with a ghost. And not just any ghost, but the ghost of the one who had given him the curse of the Kyuubi. _Why aren't you locked inside the Death God's belly like you should be?_

_Honestly? I don't know. _Yondaime's ghost grinned, then the grin faded into a serious expression. _But I fear it has something to do with your seal._

_My... seal? _

_I am afraid the Kyuubi might be trying to escape... Maybe I am only truly locked away so long as the seal I placed on you is completely intact._

Naruto was afraid. _What the hell do you mean by that?_

_I don't know... _Yondaime said with a completely silent sigh. He then decided it was not the best time to handle that subject as something else seemed to press on him. It wasn't more important necessarily, but it was something he knew he could enjoy. _Why are you in bed with her anyway?_

Naruto hesitated. While part of him was grateful that they weren't on the other subject anymore, most of him still wanted to know what kind of danger he might be in._ She's important to me, sleeping with her is the only way to keep Kyuubi out of my head at night._

_What? _He was surprised now.

"Na... ru... kun..." She mumbled, starting to wake up.

_I was never here. We'll talk later._ And with that, the blonde ghost vanished.

Naruto sighed and turned over to greet Hinata. "Morning, Hinata."

* * *

"How long do you think it'll take Jiraiya to get to Konoha?" Shuuzen asked Naruto over breakfast.

"He's probably been there and is on his way back." Naruto suggested. "Frogs are pretty fast."

"Naruto, while he's gone, you should think about other people you want to join, any ideas?" Genka asked. "Four teenagers and two immature grownups just won't cut it."

"One immature grownup." Shuuzen said with a sigh.

"Yeah, I've got one idea." He said with a thoughtful look on his face. "I know a guy that's really fast, he's not exactly a ninja though..." He sighed. "But he'd probably help us, so it's worth it to go ask him to."

"What's his name?" Sasame asked.

"Morino Idate." The blonde answered. "He was a Konoha Genin a long time ago, but he ran away because he failed the Chuunin Exams."

"A fellow runaway?" Osanai asked. "Sounds like a good idea. How strong is he?"

Naruto sighed. "He's not very strong, but he's fast. Really fast, and with some training and strategy, he'll probably be able to help out a lot."

"So, what are you gonna do about it? When do you leave?" Genka asked, a strange smile on her face.

"You really should know better than that, Genka." Shuuzen said, shaking her head. "He and Hinata are supposed to be dead, they can't be walking around without really good disguises."

"I know that!" The brown-eyed kunoichi shot back. "I was just harassing the kid, give me a break.." She huffed, then turned to Naruto. "Shuuzen and I will be returning to my house to get all of my equipment, and to get some new outfits in the city. Meanwhile, you shouldn't leave the village."

"I'll make sure they don't." Osanai said.

"Thanks, you're mature for your age." Genka said happily, while Naruto dropped to the floor.

"You seriously don't know him do you?" Naruto grumbled from the floor, but was wholly ignored.

"In fact, we'll be leaving in a little while." Genka went on. "When Jiraiya gets back, tell him that I need to talk to him, okay?"

"Sure, whatever..." Naruto grumbled.

Shuuzen stood up with an exhausted look on her face. "I'm already packed, so I'll help you get ready, Genka."

"Thanks!" Genka replied happily. "I don't need too much."

* * *

On the farthest reaches of Waterfall, the two Konoha runaways were sitting together. The dark-haired girl was leaning on the blonde boy's shoulder, daydreaming about everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah, Hinata?"

"What do you want to do?" She asked with a smile.

Naruto, however, wasn't in a very romantic mood. "I've been neglecting my training, and I still want to train with you so we can fight together. We need to be as good a team as possible."

"Training?" Hinata asked, surprised. Part of her had completely forgotten that she was a ninja, especially with the happenings of the past few days. "But I'm not very good at fighting, shouldn't I try to work on my own until I'm closer to your level?"

Naruto faked a shocked expression. "What? But that's what training is for, becoming stronger." He grinned. "Besides, You're a lot better than you think. You beat Lee, remember?"

"I caught him off guard, I'm not really that strong." She sighed. "I just got lucky."

"Ero-Sennin once told me something Gai always used to say, and it's something that makes sense." Naruto said with a smile. "Luck is part of strength."

Despite her own certainty of her insignificance, she couldn't help but smile. Smile, and cuddle a little closer, blushing a little deeper.

"You're strong." He whispered. "So many people have told me how great you are."

Hinata smiled a bit more, maybe underneath the rough and immature personality of the boy she loved, maybe there was yet another hidden side to him. And maybe this side was a romantic. She was sure that whatever part of him he was talking to her with right now, it was not quite like his others.

She stopped to wonder for a moment if he was a schizophrenic, or if he had just always hidden so much that it all came out in different personalities. She quickly decided it was the latter, satisfied with that explanation.

"Wanna go train together?" He asked, back to his usual loud voice.

"Sure." She answered. "Just a few more minutes."

He dropped his head and sighed. As much as he enjoyed her company, he wanted to train. He'd been neglecting his training for two weeks, and had even forgotten to put on the training weights he had gotten from Ryoku.

_Ryoku! _He realized. _Maybe he'll help us too! Oh, speaking of Ryoku..._

"Hey, Hinata?" He asked, turning his head to face her.

"Yes?"

"When Genka and Shuuzen get back, I'll need to go to another country to get a friend of mine. I want you to come with me." _Well, duh._ He mentally punched himself. _It didn't come out right. _

So much for Hinata's romantic theory, it must have been a fluke. "Who else is coming?" She asked after a moment.

_Aha! _He mentally rejoiced. _I can still get it to come out right without an awkward explanation!_ "It'll be just us."

The words echoed in her head. _Just us... all alone? Just me and Naruto... _She retained a squeal of delight. _It'll be different than when we first left. We may have been alone together for a few days, but it's different this time. _"Okay."

Naruto laughed at her blush. "But we have to train first."

Hinata sighed. _I want to stay here... But it'll be worth it, we'll have plenty of time alone soon. _"Okay."

She couldn't believe she was thinking like that. She'd always fantasized about being with him, but she never could have imagined that it would feel good enough for her to think so selfishly.

* * *

A white-eyed teen walked down the streets of Konoha, his friend was going to be leaving on a mission soon, and he had to tell him about his hunch.

"Kiba! I need to talk to you." He called when he saw the boy and his dog.

"Neji?" Kiba grunted. "What do you need?"

"It's missing." Neji replied, cryptic as ever.

"What?"

"The headband!"

"Naruto's headband?"

"No, Hinata's." Neji replied.

"What?" Kiba was a bit more interested now.

"She never received a new headband, and she kept her desecrated one hidden inside her pocket."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kiba asked.

Neji looked around to make sure nobody was paying any kind of particular attention to them. "She must still be alive. And if she is alive, then Naruto might be as well."

And that was it. Jiraiya had screwed up, he had only thought to bring Naruto's old one back, he was pretty sure they would do something to make sure it was really the blonde's, and Kiba had done that.

But the perverted ninja hadn't thought to bring anything of Hinata's.

Kiba's look of astonishment grew as he realized what that could mean: "Jiraiya-sama... what if he's helping them?"

Neji nodded. "Don't tell anyone about this. I will tell a few more people who I believe can be trusted, but you must not even whisper of it. We'll figure this out soon enough."

That was all he could hope for. Soon enough. But would they really figure it out in time? They didn't know it, but time was something they definitely didn't have on their side.

* * *

Far away, northeast of Fire Country, a single figure sat in a tree, leaning against its strong trunk.

A male, dressed completely in black. His short brown hair and dark eyes gave him a simple, unassuming look. Were it not for his clothes, he almost looked normal. With knives and other sharp-looking weapons tied and strapped to his clothing, and his exceptionally long sword over his back, he definitely looked like what he was – a Ninja.

_It's been a while since we've had any action. _He thought to himself. _And I have a strange feeling. I've been working with Risuki-san for months now, and even with our numerous enemies, nothing has happened to us lately._

The wind blew by, carrying a familiar scent. _Speak of the devil._

"What'cha doin', Ryu?" Came a voice very familiar to him. "Seems like you've been in this tree for hours."

The girl had seemingly materialized onto the branch on the opposite side of the Sakura tree. It was sometimes chilling how quiet she was, but lately he could sense her before she showed herself – sometimes at least. He assumed he was only getting used to her habits.

The girl was the one he was living with at the time. Not for any reason other than he needed a place to stay, and she had one. In fact, he didn't really live with _her_ as much as he did with her and seventy other people.

She had green eyes and long brown hair. A protective metal plate with the Sound symbol adorned her forehead, but she didn't wear the traditional Sound regulation clothing. Instead, she opted for simple-looking clothes, much like Ryu's. The biggest difference was the fact that where Ryu had a sword over his back, she had two ornate combat knives strapped to the left side of her waist.

"I'm thinking." He answered. "Risuki-san, do you have the same feeling as I do? Something is happening."

"Yeah, something big is happening." She replied. "Orochimaru-sama's golden boy is coming for a visit."

"Golden boy?" He asked. "That Uchiha kid? What's he got to do here?"

"Word is he's looking for something. And I hear he's been a real bitch lately, so it's probably a good idea for _you_ to stay out of his way." She responded.

"What's he all worked up over?" The male, who was probably no younger than the 'golden-boy' of which he was talking about, asked.

"Dunno." She responded simply. "Kabuto-san doesn't seem to know either. But you'd better go hide in that town, where the Fuuma clan lives. They all know you, and they don't think you're associated with Sound."

"I'm _not_ associated with Sound." He replied sharply. "I just live with you people. You know my reasons."

"Yeah." She sighed. "Your weird-ass reasons, run away from Mist to join a Sound girl in a little unimportant outpost in the middle of nowhere. As a matter of fact, I don't believe your 'reasons'. I think there's something you're not telling me." A teasing smile spread across her face.

"Don't think too hard." He said simply. "You might hurt yourself."

"What's that, jackass?"

"Nothing." He shrugged and jumped from the tree. _That was close... I wouldn't want her to find out about my suspicions without being sure myself._

Risuki sighed and watched as he walked off in the direction of the town. He would go hide there for a while, like he always did when one of the higher-ups from the village would come. The rest of the underlings that manned the hidden base were used to Ryu, and all accepted him as a comrade, but that wasn't likely to happen with someone like Uchiha Sasuke.

_He's such a jerk sometimes, acting all cool like that!_ She thought to herself. _Uchiha isn't arriving for another few days. We've still got plenty of time... He's not getting tired of me is he? The jackass!_

"Are you just going to sit there?" Ryu interrupted her thought. "I'm waiting for you. Things get boring without you."

_Without me? _She grinned triumphantly. _Looks like I've made an impact on his life after all!_

"I prefer noisy over quiet, that is." He said, with a victorious smile matching the one she had a moment ago.

"What?"

"Are you coming or what?"

"Coming!" She said as she jumped out of the tree. "Where are we going?"

"I don't care."

She tripped and almost fell over before catching herself. "You don't know do you?"

"Well, we'll just have to see when we get there. Won't we?" He said with a wide grin. "Come on."

They walked in circles for a while, conversing some, joking a little. Eventually, they reached what could suitably be called a 'destination'.

"We're here!"

She sighed. "It's just the town."

"So?" He asked. "Just take off your headband, they don't like Sound here. And besides, it's better than the forest or the hideout. There's nothing interesting there."

She sighed, taking off her headband. "Well, let's go get some food."

"Alright." He said, headed into the central area of the town.

When they found a decent restaurant, they sat down for a meal.

"You know, I've never seen your sword." Risuki stated, looking at the scabbard slung over his back. "The only time I ever saw a sword that long was when Zabuza-san came to the Village a few years back, when I was still a kid, and his was massive When I look at .your sheath, though, it just looks like it's long and slim."

"The sheath is misleading." He answered.

"Is that so people won't expect the type of sword you're gonna use?"

"No." He answered. "It just doesn't fit in any other sheath I've found. So I use the one that I got with it."

"So when am I gonna get to see it in action?" She asked. "With all the people that've attacked us at the outpost, you always let me handle them."

"I don't fight for Sound." He answered. "If I want to use my sword, It'll be when we're not fighting an enemy of your village."

"Come on, can't you just show me?" She pleaded.

"Nope." He said with a grin. "Unless you want to fight me."

"Fight you?" Risuki's smile grew to her ears.

"Huh?" He looked a bit surprised. "What's with that excited look? Don't tell me you actually want to fight..."

"Come on, I'll show you what I'm made of!" She shot out of her seat, grappled his arm and ran off.

"Wait! We still haven't paid!" He shouted.

* * *

"It was a waste of time going back and paying that man." Risuki said with a sigh.

"We wouldn't have been allowed to eat there again if we hadn't." Ryu countered. "So, what are the rules of this fight?"

"Don't kill." She said with a smile. "I like having you around."

"Oh?" He asked, a surprised look on his face. "That's too bad, I can't draw my sword in a no-killing fight. It's too risky."

"You're kidding..." She sighed. "Right?"

"We'll see. You'll have to give me a reason to draw it if you _really_ want to see it."

"Okay then." She smiled and slipped her two deadly-looking knives from their holster. "I hope your reflexes are good."

Having said that, she disappeared from sight. A second later, she was behind Ryu. Instantly, she thrust the knife in her right hand in front of his neck. "Did I win already?"

She heard Ryu sigh. "Are your eyes closed or something?" he asked, an annoyed tone.

"Umm... yes." She opened her eyes after a moment to see something she hadn't quite expected. "Hang on... how'd you do that?"

"This is a learning opportunity, don't move from your current position." He told her calmly.

"Fine."

"Okay." He said with an air of comedy. "First of all, I don't think that side of your knife will do much damage."

He was talking about the fact that the cutting edge of her blade was facing away from his neck, not toward it like it should. That had been his doing, somehow he had turned the blade away from himself.

"But I have two knives." She objected.

"Look at your left arm." He said, she could tell he was smiling.

She did so, and noticed something that she hadn't even felt until that point. He was holding her wrist. _How come I couldn't feel it? Such a gentle grip?_

"This is the Taijutsu style that I use, known as Ryuudou." He explained. "Your current moves don't require my sword."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" She asked, annoyed.

"Look at my right hand." He responded.

She did so. "What the f-? It's in your POCKET!" She grunted and stepped away, then pointed one of her blades awkwardly at him. "SHOW-OFF!"

"It's not my fault if you don't get serious." He said with a sigh. "Try again."

She moved again for the attack, this time targeting his right kidney. But before she was close enough to declare victory, she just barely felt his gentle grip on her wrist again. This time, instead of immobilizing her arm, he slightly adjusted its direction.

Her attack completely missed its target, but there was a reason she had two knives, and this was it. She prepared her other weapon on a course for the same target – his kidney – but his other hand came out of the pocket now and grabbed her other wrist.

A second later, she was tumbling across the ground. Something about that Ryuudou technique didn't make any sense. He didn't even put any effort into it, but he seemed to be able to throw her like a rag doll. "How do you do that?"

"I just shift your balance." He answered. "You're the one that falls down."

"Will you stop making a fool of me!" She shouted and jumped back to her feet.

"Fine, just come at me again." He said nonchalantly. "We'll see how good you are."

Another second later, she was standing in front of him, Both hands at his neck, ready to cut through, but the knives were missing.

"You might need these." He said as he stepped back and held up both weapons. "We're done for now."

"What do you mean 'done'!" She asked, frustrated that he had decided it was over before she even got serious.

"I mean, we should go back to base. It's getting dark."

She looked up, he as right. It was well past sunset and they had a hike to get back to the Sound hideout. "Fine, we'll do this again tomorrow. I won't give up until I see your sword."

"I can't just _show_ you my blade." He said coolly. "If I did, then I wouldn't be mysterious anymore, would I?"

"That's your reason?" She asked frustratedly. "Just show me already!"

He laughed. "I'll show you, someday. Once a few things have come to pass."

"What's that s'posed to mean?" She asked suspiciously. "Are you just making excuses?"

"No, I mean it. I'll even let you hold it. But a few things will have to have happened by then for that to be possible."

"A 'few things'? What would those be?"

"Oh, I couldn't tell you." He said with a laugh. "It would take all the fun out of it."

* * *

An old man with long white hair walked through the rubble of Waterfall village. Once a faithful servant of Hokages of the past, now a follower of traitors to his home village, Jiraiya had a strange feeling of remorse. _Did I really do the right thing? _

He sighed and leaned on a tree, looking out into a field where he could hear his old student and his old student's new partner training. It was easy to tell it was them, by the blonde's shouts of encouragement or frustration.

"Naruto... Why are you here? Hell, why am I following you of all people?" He asked nobody but himself. "If Konoha is in danger, I don't understand what you're doing out here... But I trust you for some reason."

He shook his head. This trust of the blonde boy was not a good sign, he would need a drink later that night. A big one. Several.

"Ero-Sennin?"

"Huh?" Jiraiya started. _Did I just doze off? I must really be getting old. _"What do you need?"

"Genka needed to talk to you." He said, but Jiraiya knew from several years of training with the boy that there was something more important he wanted to say.

"What else?"

"Well..." Naruto stared off to the right, at nothing in particular. "It's Hinata, I know she's really determined, but when we're training, she doesn't try at all."

Jiraiya sighed. "You want me to fix that?"

"I just want to know why, she doesn't seem to want to tell me."

Jiraiya laughed at the boy. "You need some relationship advice."

The blonde's face became very frustrated. "Not from _you_."

The old man glared at the boy, then sighed. "She looks up to you. She believes that you are at a level far above her own capability. Just give it some time, she'll realize how capable she is sooner or later."

"I guess so..." Naruto sighed. After a minute or two, he felt the presence of the Fourth Hokage. But to his surprise, it seemed that Jiraiya could sense him as well.

"What's that?" The older man asked nobody in particular. "I feel a strange power..."

That was when it hit him, it wasn't the Fourth's presence he felt – at least, not _only_ the Fourth's. There was something else, something powerful. He felt the Fourth Hokage think toward him, and his eyes widened when he 'heard' the words. "Hurry!"

****

**-Earlier-**

_What the?_ Yondaime's eyes shot open. _This feeling... No, that can't be right. _

He turned around, he knew he felt something. But he should not be able to sense _anything_. _What is this aura? It feels so familiar... Wait... it can't be._

His eyes widened even more as he realized what this feeling was.

_I have to get away! I can't let him catch me! _He started running, but his spirit legs didn't respond properly. After a few feet, he stopped and fell to the ground. _Why do I feel tired? I have no body..._

**_You cannot run._**

_No! I have a purpose in this world!_

**_Talk means nothing._**

_Please, allow me to stay for one month!_

_**I am hungry.**_

_N-Naruto! Help me!_

**_It is useless._**

And Yondaime finally saw the form of the source of his terror.

_It's... the Death God!_

****

Jiraiya and Naruto had been running for a minute or so, and Jiraiya was trying to figure out what the weird feeling was. "Naruto, what is this?"

"It's the-" Naruto stopped talking, but kept running. "Never mind, go back to the house. This is my business." Why he said that, he didn't know. But he decided to follow his intuition.

Jiraiya stopped and turned back without a word, he could tell this was something Naruto wanted to handle alone.

Naruto kept running toward the two strange auras. _Hey... Hey, Hokage?_

_N-Naruto! _The ghost replied in his mind. Even though it wasn't spoken, it sounded relieved. But the relief didn't last long. _Wait! You can't fight this thing!_

_Then what am I supposed to do? Sit by and let it swallow you again?_

A pause from the other end. _You're close, I can sense you. Whatever you do, don't get yourself eaten._

_That definitely is not part of the plan. _Naruto responded reassuringly.

Suddenly, the blonde teen felt the eyes of the Death God on him. _Wh-What is this?_

_It's spotted you, get away! You can't handle this thing! _Yondaime called to Naruto's mind. But it was too late.

**_Another? Who dares interrupt the work of the Death God?_**

_I do! _Naruto mentally shouted. _I don't want you taking him away. So what do you say to that?_

_Stupid, Stupid Naruto! It wants you now too!_

_**A challenge is it? **_The Death God mused. **_It has been millennia since the last challenger. _**

_A... challenge? _Naruto was shocked. _Oh crap._

_**You did not intend to challenge me? **_The being asked, tauntingly. **_Very well, then I shall devour this soul._**

_No!_ Naruto shouted.

**_That's better. The 'rules' as you mortals call it, are very simple. _**It laughed devilishly. **_If you are able to push me back, I will spare your friend. But if you are defeated by me, then I shall devour both your souls._**

_I agree. _Naruto couldn't believe what he had just agreed to. Not only was he risking Yondaime, but his own soul. He wasn't sure exactly what would happen if his own soul was devoured, but he was pretty sure it was something close to death.

**_To the arena! I had better enjoy this, brat._**

Suddenly, Naruto felt dizzy. And within a few seconds, he blacked out, but he was not unconscious.

_Where am I? What's happening?_

**Our souls are being separated from your body. Soon, we'll be home.**

_Separated from my body? Kyuubi!_

**In the... _flesh_. **The demon laughed madly. **I can't wait to do this, kid.**

_What do you mean?_

**The Death God is taking us to my home world, a world of souls. My soul, which was sealed inside your body, will be physically manifested again! You will have a Soul Body as well, and the blonde Hokage that sealed me will also have a body.**

Suddenly, Naruto could see what Kyuubi meant. They were in a completely different area, in a different world. The colors of normal life were gone, it seemed very similar to Itachi's world in that there were no landmarks, no defining features. No homes or buildings, just blank emptiness.

He turned to his right and saw the Yondaime. The older blonde glared back sadly. "Naruto, do you have any idea what you've done?"

"S-Sorry..."

"It's too late for that now." Yondaime looked ahead at the Death God. "It's about to begin. We have to fight it together."

* * *

**-End of Chapter Nineteen-**

**Revised on 9/6/2011  
**


	20. A New Foe

**Note: **I stated when I wrote this chapter that I didn't think the Fourth's name is "Arashi", but that was the popular rumor at the time (Like, four years ago) and I decided to use it. Now we know it's Minato, but that has nothing to do with Runaways.

**-Chapter Twenty: A New Foe-**

* * *

The Fourth turned away from his younger companion. "It's about to start..."

Naruto looked in the direction that Yondaime had turned, there was their opponent. The Death God. But he had another strange feeling.

**You're not forgetting about me, are you?**

"Oh crap!" Naruto shouted and turned around. "K-Kyuubi!"

The Fourth's look of serious concentration shattered. "What!" He turned around to see that standing behind him, at its full four story height, was the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

**Scared, little human?**

**_Hmm? How did you get here, fox? _**The Death God wondered aloud.

**The brat brought me. I've been sealed up in his stomach for sixteen years.**

"You're not going to help _him_ are you?" Naruto asked the giant demon. "Damn, how am I gonna get outta this one?"

**Hehe, no. I'm not going to help the Death God, as much as I wish I could. I'm not finished with you yet. **The fox seemed to smirk at the young blonde. **Rest assured though, I'm not on your side either.**

Naruto sighed and glared at the old Hokage. "See what you gave me? I get comments like that all the time."

**_Enough talk! _**The evil voice boomed throughout whatever world they were in. **_Let the battle begin!_**

**Kid, you have the same abilities here as you did in your own world. Take advantage of that.**

"I should have known you'd be useless!" Naruto shouted as he started a mad dash toward the Death God.

Yondaime quickly tried to talk sense into the boy. "Naruto! Be more careful than tha- What the...?" He gasped when he saw a familiar spinning ball in the teen's right hand. He stared wide-eyed as Naruto continued running and pouring more power into the Rasengan. "That's my technique..."

Naruto jumped up to face-level with the Death God, then thrust his attack toward its head. "If I'm up against a god, I might as well start off seriously! Rasengan!"

After an impressive-looking display of exploding chakra, Naruto landed again, waiting to see what his attack had done.

**_An interesting technique. _**The Death God laughed. **_I'm surprised that you're able to control your chakra so well in this world. _**

"What?" Yondaime asked, startled at his realization that he was having a hard time controlling his own strength. "That's weird..."

**_I'll destroy you first. _**The Death God chuckled and looked down at Naruto. It slowly pulled its dagger from between its teeth.

Naruto would have run if he was able to. But something held him in his spot. He wasn't sure if it was fear, dread or simply the tremendous power he felt coming from his foe. Either way, he was stuck in his tracks. _Great, I get in one attack and then I lose._

The dagger came crashing down. But when it came back up, there was no sign of Naruto. And the giant demon was no longer standing behind Yondaime, but instead stood behind the Death God, with a very ruffled blonde teenager hanging from its mouth.

"What the hell?" Naruto yelled at his rescuer. "I could have gotten away!"

**Brat! Use your other power!**

"Other power?" Naruto questioned, he had no clue what Kyuubi was talking about.

"Other power?" Yondaime parroted.

**MY power! **The great demon yelled. **Just do it, remember what I told you before?**

**"**Huh?" Naruto thought for a second. _Fire, water, wind, earth, thunder, darkness, light, love, hate... Wait a sec... _"You said that Dark and Light were useless in my world... but in your world..."

**You're not quite as stupid as you look. But that's not saying much. Now go use that power!**

"How the hell do I use a power that I don't know anything about?" Naruto grumbled. "I don't know what it means that light is another element in this world!"

**Fine, I'll help you.** The Kyuubi huffed and tossed Naruto at the has-been Hokage. **This is the power of Darkness. _Ankoku no Gyorai._**

The giant fox started to change color, it was quickly turning black. The blackness seemed to consume all light nearby, and somehow, the area they were in seemed to become darker itself. When its entire body was covered in this devouring blackness, its shape started to change from that of a fox, to a formless mass which Naruto couldn't begin to explain. His brain was bombarded with information, as if he was seeing in a new dimension.

The mass quickly accelerated toward the Death God. When it hit, the force of the collision shook even this world without physical form. The Death God struggled against the power of this strange attack. The force pushed the monster backward for a distance that could not be measured in real-world standards. Somehow, Naruto knew that in this world, nothing was the same as his own.

There were many things that did not exist, and many new things that did. Shape was not defined in terms of square or round, distance was not measured in feet or meters, climate was not explained in terms of hot or cold, time could not be counted in seconds, and so much more.

This place confused him, the sudden realization of all this was almost enough to make his brain explode, it seemed. _I wonder if Shikamaru would be able to understand any of this. Somehow, I doubt it._

After a period of time that he could not count, the Death God stopped. Kyuubi's attack faded and the demon returned to its original form. An imaginary line had been crossed, like a Sumo match.

The world around Naruto started swirling and fading. He wasn't sure if he had won or lost, whether his brain was shutting down from all this new information or if he was just dying. Or maybe, just maybe, he was going back to his own world, where things made sense.

"I'm... where the hell am I?"

He sat up, sitting in a bed, in a white room. A completely different setting than he had been in before. Upon a closer inspection of the room, he found out that he wasn't in any place he'd ever been. The walls and ceiling were all identical, and the strangest part was: There was no door. Anywhere.

"What the..." He stepped out of the bed and examined himself. He was wearing an outfit completely identical to the one he'd been wearing before, only instead of black, it was white, and it had the same orange stripes.

"Oh, you're awake?" He heard someone say. "That's good. Please follow me."

He couldn't tell where the voice was coming from, so he just looked around. No doors, no speakers, no people. He sighed and looked straight forward again, and almost jumped out of his skin. "WHAT THE HELL?"

"Sorry to startle you." The man apologized politely. "Is there anything I can do for you?" The man looked pretty much normal, except for a few things.

Firstly: He was standing in a doorway that had definitely not been there a moment ago.

Second: He was standing on the _wall. _As in, he seemed to be situated on a completely different gravitational plane than Naruto was.

Naruto was definitely _not_ in the world where things made sense.

"Please follow me." The man said politely, turning on his heel and walking down the hallway. Naruto walked to the doorway, trying to figure a way into it without falling over from the gravity shift. But somehow, in a way he couldn't begin to understand, he was already standing within the doorway.

He followed the hallway, turned, turned again. He was almost positive that he was walking through space that should have been part of the room he was in earlier. He sighed and re-realized that distance could not be measured. _This is one confusing-ass place._

"Where are you taking me?" Naruto asked, when he finally saw the man again.

"Huh?" The man asked. "I don't understand... Please, follow me."

"What?"

"Follow me, I'm taking you to your companion."

"My companion?" Naruto asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"He calls himself 'Arashi'." The man replied.

"Arashi?" Naruto questioned, confused again. "Describe him."

"Describe him?" the man seemed to think for a moment. "A great being, very powerful and loved by many."

"No, no." Naruto waved his arms. "I mean, does he have blonde hair? Is he tall?"

"Blonde... tall... I think I understand." The man seemed to be struggling with the simple concept of height and color. Two things that apparently didn't exist, or didn't matter, in this universe. "Blonde means..." He seemed to think for a moment before his face brightened with a 'eureka' expression. "That." He said, as he pointed to Naruto's blonde hair.

"Umm... yeah." Naruto sweat-dropped. "And how tall is he?"

"Tall..." The man struggled with this. "What does that mean?"

Naruto thought for a moment. "Oh, let's see which one of us is taller."

He looked at the man again, trying to judge his height. But somehow, he couldn't tell _how tall_ the man was. He couldn't even tell if he himself was shorter or taller than the man.

He looked down the hall and came to a startling realization. It branched off in different directions, but he couldn't describe any of them in terms of left or right, up or down. There were the standard three dimensions: height, depth and width, but there was a fourth, nameless dimension that he could see, but not describe. How could he understand anything here?

After a little while, he began to grasp this new concept of time. He couldn't count it, but he could tell when something happened in relation to something else. He met this man after he woke up, but before he started walking in the hallway.

Time wasn't so confusing to him anymore, and he didn't feel quite so disoriented. But he still couldn't understand direction, or anything else.

"Your companion is right here." The man smiled and somehow, Fourth Hokage was standing next to the man, with a very similar expression to Naruto's: confused.

"What the?" The blonde man gasped. "I'm... where am I?"

"He doesn't understand 'where'." Naruto said. "I just barely understand time in this place."

"This place?" The strange man seemed to understand something now. "I think... do you mean, what state is this?"

"Sure." Naruto replied.

"This is dfgoirgs" The man said with a smile.

"What?" Naruto was completely confused. That had sounded like complete gibberish to him. "Whatever, how do I get home?"

"To your home state?" The man smiled. "I can do that."

"Really?" Naruto smiled. "Please do that, thanks." He grinned at the man, then at the Fourth Hokage. "Let's go home."

"How's he doing?" Shuuzen asked the teenage girl.

"There's no change." She replied. "I don't understand... what happened to him?"

"I don't know either, Sasame." The older woman replied. "Jiraiya-sama seems to know a bit more than I do, you should ask him."

Sasame sighed. "Yeah, I did. He told me that he's seen this happen two times before. The first time was when the Fourth Hokage created the Shiki Fuuin. The second time was when. the Third Hokage did the same thing."

"Weird..." Shuuzen seemed to think for a moment. "I wonder what that means..."

"Where am I?" They heard a familiar voice. "Shuuzen? Sasame?" A wide grin played across his face. "Things make sense here!" He laughed aloud, pointing at a clock. "Time!" He jumped out of bed and stood in front of Sasame. "I'm taller than you! And I'm in a hospital! I never thought I'd be so glad to wake up in a hospital!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Another voice asked. Genka stepped into the hospital room.

"Genka!" Naruto grinned. "Never thought I'd be happy to see you either!"

"Shut up!" Genka yelled and smashed Naruto over the head. "We were all worried sick about you!"

"What?" Naruto stopped celebrating for a moment. "How long was I out?"

"Two weeks."

"T-Two weeks!" Naruto gasped. "Whoa…"

"Hinata, wake up." Shuuzen shook Hinata, who had apparently fallen asleep on another visitors' chair. "He's come to."

"Hmm?" One of her eyes opened fully, while the other one only half opened. "He's come…" Suddenly, both eyes were wide open and she turned to the now-empty bed. Then she quickly searched the room for Naruto.

"Morining, Hinata." Naruto greeted, emphasizing the point that it was morning because he was happy that morning existed. "It's good to see you."

* * *

In Konoha, the Hokage lounged in his chair. Everything was going according to plan. When the master had discovered the Kyuubi brat had escaped, he seemed satisfied. In fact, the master had seemed almost happy that Uzumaki had gotten away with the Hyuuga girl.

The green-eyed man sighed, these few and far-between communications with the master were annoying, there was only contact every few weeks. And contact was always long-distance, sometimes with a scroll, sometimes through a messenger. Hell, sometimes he even used the telephone!

The Hokage smiled again. The plan was coming along perfectly. Even the timing was right on the mark. It amazed him, how the master was able to plan things so perfectly. It was as if he could see the future, or manipulate fate itself.

He laughed to himself. The village was becoming more and more reliant on him each passing day. He practically had them wrapped around his little finger. And the message signed by several other village leaders as well, that was also part of the plan.

A declaration of war from Earth village. War is exactly what the plan said would happen.

The villagers would no doubt fight blindly against the Stone Country ninjas, and whenever there is fighting, more and more people become involved. Konoha would request aid from its allies, same from Earth Village.

Konoha's allies and Earth's allies would wind up fighting each other exclusively, and eventually start fighting allies themselves. Or the plan said they would start fighting themselves, the Hokage still didn't understand how that would happen, but he didn't know the whole plan.

"Well, I guess I should announce this to the rest of the village." He sat up at his desk and sighed. "So much work, when will the action start up again?"

"Soon, Hokage-sama. Soon." One of the ANBU guards said from behind his mask. "The Master's plans always come through, when does the plan say it will start?"

"Officially, it starts after Stone gets our response. But the Plan says the real action will start a month or two afterward." The Hokage said with a grin.

"I can't wait, Hokage-sama." The ANBU said with a slight hint of insanity.

"Nor can I." The Hokage smiled. "Nor can I."

* * *

The next day, back in Waterfall village, Naruto explored the freshly-rebuilt main plaza. Jiraiya still wouldn't tell anyone how he had gotten the power company to supply them with electricity again. But it didn't matter all that much anyway. What mattered was that the village was officially up-and-running.

The only problem was, there were no storefronts. No restaurants. Since there was no access to outside life, no merchants or restaurant owners knew that the village was back on its feet. So of course, that meant that getting Naruto's precious ramen would be a bit of a trick. But at least he knew that himself and Hinata were able to wander the city to the north without any trouble.

Still, the plaza did have a few things of interest. There was a bar that served sake at a pretty penny, seeing as how it was hard to get it into the village. A few entertainment outlets, and even a movie theater. But of course, it was a very small theater. And there was even – to Jiraiya's great satisfaction – an adult entertainment building. He was a frequent visitor of the place. And he was happy to see that there were some very pretty girls in Waterfall.

Of course, most people would think that a village hidden behind a waterfall, under a mountain, would be small. But in fact, several thousand people still lived within the village. Its population was still nothing compared to that of Konoha, but it was still bigger than many other ninja villages. Even bigger than a few countries, if you only counted population.

The blonde ninja smiled as he surveyed the area. _Osanai seems to be able to handle this place pretty well. _

"Naruto!" Came a girl's voice.

"Hinata?" He turned and saw her slightly worried expression. "What's wrong?"

"Every time I let you out of my sight, something bad happens." She grumbled. "For a few minutes, I want to be able to make sure you're safe."

Naruto laughed aloud. "Hinata, you don't need to worry about me."

"Then I want to feel safe around you." She said, but it was still clear that she worried more about him.

"Well, that shouldn't be much of a problem." Naruto grinned. "Cause we're going out."

"We are?"

"Yep." Naruto answered with a big smile. "It's not really a date or anything, but someone has to go to Sasame's home town. We need to get some money from her family, and she forgot a few things back there too."

"Why doesn't she go?"

"Well, we'll be traveling in pairs." He answered. "Right now, only us three are really able to go anywhere. And I don't think you would like it if I went with her, or if you went with her and I stayed behind." He said with a knowing look.

"Oh." Hinata seemed to remember something. "While you were… asleep, Genka-sensei got something for us."

"Huh?" Naruto had a puzzled look adorning his face. "What did she get?"

* * *

"New outfits!" Genka said with a wide grin. "We can't go around imitating evil organizations without a cool gimmick."

"Outfits?" Naruto grumbled. "Why do we need that?"

"Reason number one:" Genka said matter-of-factly. "To help conceal your identities. Reason number two: intimidation tactics."

"Intimidation tactics?" Naruto asked.

"After a while, we should have a fair reputation. Anyone who sees someone wearing these clothes will have the piss scared out of them if we play our cards right." She smiled. "And our hand is pretty good so far, so it'll be hard to screw up."

"Let's see it." Naruto sighed. "Might as well get it over with."

Genka went up to her room without a word, then quickly came back down with two black robes hanging over her left arm, and two partial sets of light armor hanging from her other arm. "Okay, Hinata, show him how to put it on."

Hinata took one of the robes, slipped it over her usual clothes. It was a dark robe with orange lining on the inside, and an orange trim on the edges. She pulled up a hood which covered her head and bathed her face in shadow. It could definitely be a terribly frightening sight in the right conditions.

"Well, any complaints?" Genka asked.

"It's cool." Naruto said with an appraising look. "I don't know anything about this stuff… but it sure looks awesome." He grinned and grabbed the other robe. His was a bit larger, as he was a bit larger than Hinata. "It looks awesome!" He said with a wide grin. "Thanks!"

"You're not gonna complain?" Genka asked, surprised. "I expected some pointless ranting and complaining, pointing out lots of things that didn't matter and maybe one or two good points." She sighed. "Looks like Hinata has more than one good effect on you."

At this, something that had been rare until lately happened: The blonde blushed. "I- I just like it." He mumbled. "It's not like she's changing who I am or anything."

"Stop blushing you." Genka knocked his head. "If you don't get going soon, you might as well leave in the morning."

"Okay." Hinata laughed at their comedy act. "We'll go now."

They both wore their cloaks, but also both left the hoods down. Naruto was somewhat glad that there wasn't anything obstructing his view of the girl, and stole a glance every few minutes.

"You grew your hair." Naruto observed. Her hair was much longer than it had been before. Her bangs were long as well, and she sometimes brushed them out of her long eyelashes. "It looks good." He complimented with a grin.

"Thanks." Hinata replied with a matching smile. "It's grown a lot since we left Konoha, I'm glad you noticed."

"O-oh. I… uhh…" Naruto mumbled, not willing to admit that he had noticed before as well. "Well, we're finally alone."

A day and a night had passed, they took a shortcut through Fire Country, so they were able to arrive more quickly. Hinata sat in a tree, waiting for Naruto to return.

"I'll go alone from here." He had told her. "We'll get out of here faster that way, because they all think I'm engaged to Sasame. If they saw me with you, things might get messy."

"They think _what_?" Hinata had asked, more concerned than angry.

"Well, a few of them know the real story, but only the few that I thought we could trust. The rest thinks that she left with me for some political engagement."

The teenage girl had sighed and decided he was right, even though it was far against her better judgment. "I guess I should just wait, there's nothing better to do is there?" She asked herself, then started half-daydreaming.

"Maybe… on the way back, we'll be able to relax." She sighed. The shortcut through Fire meant they had to be on guard the whole time, and that didn't leave any room for relaxation. And that was one thing she wanted more than almost anything else, when she was alone with him. Since their time alone was so rare.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the presence elsewhere in the trees until it was much too close for comfort. She felt someone using chakra nearby. Almost instantly, her mind cleared and went into combat mode. Then, her logical sense kicked in. Judging by the ability to hide in the trees, whoever she was up against was an experienced. It could have been a Konoha ninja, since Tea Country is one of Konoha's neighbors, and is virtually unprotected at that other than the few Konoha-nins hired to protect rich ambassadors and such.

The other possibility was a Sound ninja. Considering the rumored activity in Sound's outpost, and the proximity to that outpost, it was more likely.

Both possibilities almost definitely meant it was an enemy.

There only seemed to be one enemy, but there could always be more hiding and staying still. But if it was only one person, she would probably be able to handle herself against it.

She discreetly activated her bloodline, expanding her field of vision to it's near-360 degree radius. She could now easily see the person she had sensed. A female, probably about the same age and definitely a ninja. She was standing upside-down from a tree, fifteen feet behind Hinata.

"What do you want from me?" Hinata asked cautiously.

"Hm?" The girl responded. "So you _can_ sense me."

"What do you want?"

"Well, If you were a commoner, I'd ignore you." The girl responded, almost arrogantly. "But since you seem to be a ninja, I need to know what village you're from."

"I don't serve any villages." Hinata responded. Somehow, the words had sounded a lot cooler in her head. And they would have sounded a lot cooler if Naruto had said them, too.

"No village?" The mysterious girl seemed confused. "Are you like Ryu? A runaway?"

Hinata lightened up, the girls voice wasn't hostile anymore. It almost seemed relieved. She turned around to face the girl, but that was when it went wrong.

The girl had a smile until a millisecond after she saw Hinata's face. It suddenly turned into a depressed, yet determined expression.

* * *

**A few days earlier...**

"Uchiha-sama, is there anything else we can do for you before you leave?" She asked obediently, like a good henchman.

"Actually." He replied without any emotion on his face, nor in his voice. "You can. Do you see these two people?" He asked, holding up Sound's Bingo Book.

"Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata?" She read the names aloud. "Are they the ones you're looking for?"

Sasuke grinned, just barely. "You knew I was looking for someone? You're not as stupid as most of Orochimaru's henchmen."

"Thank you, Uchiha-sama." She replied with a smile and a bow.

"You're half right." He explained. "I only want him."

"What about the girl?"

"Kill her." He answered coldly. "There's no reason to let her live."

* * *

-**End of chapter Twenty-**

**Revised on 9/6/2011**


	21. Declaration of War

**-Chatpter Twenty One: Declaration of War-**

* * *

In Snow Country, two men sat together over a drink. One of which is very familiar to us, as he had been the one training Naruto for almost a year.

"Hey, you remember that blonde kid I was training?" Ryoku asked with a light chuckle.

"Yeah, that quiet guy." His friend replied. "He seemed like a real downer, I never could get a feel for him."

This man was not quite as tall as Ryoku, who was almost seven feet tall, and his dark blonde hair was cleanly kept and cut short. His angular, overly-sharp face gave him an intimidating glare, and his two reddish eyes didn't help make him look any friendlier. Just visible through the front of his cloak was a hilt to a sword. The hilt itself measured nearly a foot long, hinting at the presence of a very long sword hidden underneath his clothes.

Ryoku nodded, Naruto definitely had definitely quiet, at least when he had been in Snow Country. But he didn't know why until he had left the boy with Genka and the others. "Yeah, but I'll bet you can never guess why he was so glum."

"Huh?" The other man looked thoughtful for a few moments, then sighed. "Any hints?"

"Well, he's special." Ryoku said. "More special than you and me put together. I don't think anyone in the world would ever be able to beat that kid if he really set his mind to it."

"More special than the two of us?" The second man was startled. "Put together?"

Ryoku nodded slowly.

"What is he?" His friend gasped.

"He is Uzumaki Naruto." Ryoku answered with a smile. "But inside him is something truly terrifying."

"You don't mean…" The man's red-brown eyes widened. "_That_?"

"Yes, but that's not the only special thing about him." Ryoku smiled even more. "Even without Kyuubi, he has more potential than anyone I've ever met or heard of."

"You must be joking." The other man said with a disbelieving grin.

"Nope." Ryoku smiled and took another sip of his sake. "That boy has the ability to reach a level that nobody has ever reached."

"You're reading too much into this. He can't be _that_ strong."

"You're right, he isn't." Ryoku said. "But he has that potential, locked inside him. In a way, it's sealed up tighter than the Kyuubi. If he ever unlocks it, he will be by far the most powerful ninja in the world… But there is a better word to suit that power… that word is 'suicide'."

"I see." The man said. "It's _that_ kind of power."

"Yes." Ryoku said with a sigh as he refilled his cup. "It's the worst kind."

* * *

"So it's true then?" Kiba asked with a grin. "Those two are really alive?"

"Yes." Neji responded simply. "And Jiraiya-sama is helping them."

"I see!" Lee whispered as loudly as he possibly could without being shushed by Neji. "Naruto-kun and Hinata-san only want to live quiet lives together, without anybody from Konoha to bother them!"

"I don't think that's it, Lee." Sakura said with a heavy sigh. "It's probably true that they want to hide, but I don't think that's the reason."

"Any ideas, Neji?" Kiba asked. "What they could be doing, I mean."

"No." Neji said. "I don't, but it looks like they're planning something. Both of them are warriors after all, and they're not the type to give up easily."

Kiba had brought Shino to their secret meeting, felling that he deserved to know what was going on. Up until this point, he had been very quiet. "So they're going to fight." He said quietly. "Both of them have intense potential. It's in our best interests to be careful."

"Why?" Kiba asked. "They're our friends..."

"They were." Shino responded coldly. "If we get in their way now, there is no telling what may happen."

After saying that, the bug-user walked silently away, but he turned his head to say one last thing. "I'm sure that we are still considered friends to them. But it seems their goal is more important than friendship. A battle between us and them is only inevitable."

"Shino's always like that." Kiba said with a laugh.

"But he's right." Neji told Kiba sternly. "We will have to fight them someday. So we have to be ready, starting today."

There was a short pause. "Let's go, Sakura-san!" Lee said with a grin. "It's almost dinner time."

"Okay, Lee." Sakura smiled. "We'll see you guys later."

"I've got to go too." Kiba said.

"I guess we're done then." Neji stated. "Same place next week, I'll try to have more information."

Kiba was walking alone now, Akamaru was still at the vet. It wasn't anything serious, just a routine check-up. So now the young heir to the Inuzuka clan was walking alone down the streets of Konoha.

It had been strange for the first several months that Naruto and Hinata had been gone. After a few months though, they had become used to it.

But a few people had never seemed to be comfortable with the fact that Naruto may not ever come back.

Kakashi had changed completely when Naruto left, becoming more diligent. He was never more than half an hour late anymore, but never less than that either. The silver-haired Jounin had been training almost incessantly, and was considering rejoining ANBU.

Another person was Sakura. She didn't feel comfortable without the blonde's constant blabbering. While she was with Lee, Naruto had always been there for her as well. It was strange for her to lose someone like that.

Kiba himself didn't like it either. Not one bit, but it wasn't Naruto he missed. Even with Lee's constant claims that the two runaways had found true love, Kiba refused to believe it. Or rather, he hoped that Hinata would return one day, he didn't care if she still loved Naruto, he wouldn't push into Naruto's territory, but he missed her and just wanted her to come back.

And Kurenai seemed saddened ever since the two had left, she was talking with Kakashi a lot, sometimes taking a chance to stare into space when nobody was looking.

To the ones that knew him, life wasn't the same without him. That was what Naruto was to the village: a friend to those that ever took the time to know him.

Suddenly, a loud bell rang, pulling Kiba out of his thoughts. He looked around him and saw that many of the villagers were moving to the Hokage tower.

"What's going on?" He wondered aloud.

"It's an urgent message to the village from Hokage-sama." One of the villagers answered. "Every ninja is required to be present."

He quickly made his way to the tower, where the dark-haired Hokage was standing in the balcony and watching the people congregate below.

"People of our beloved village!" He started. "Today is a day that will go down in history... Our enemies of the past, Stone village, have conducted a secret meeting, a dire secret council with the leaders of other countries and dark warlords. In this meeting, many lies were told about us. Mistruths of tyranny, robbery, destruction! The Tsuchikage has declared that Konoha is unfit, and must be destroyed!"

The entire congregation became completely silent, waiting for him to tell just how he would respond to the Tsuchikage's claims.

"War has been declared against us!" He shouted. "Will we fight? Fight for our freedom? Fight for our village? Fight for our families? Fight for our loved ones? Will we dedicate ourselves to fighting off this tyrannous man and his war?"

The question was met with an enthusiastic and unanimous scream of approval. The entire village seemed to roar with the cries of villagers who desired to fight.

Four Chuunin and a few Jounin were silent. All of the those Chuunin's eyes went to focus on one Hyuuga Neji.

But what they saw was almost as unsettling as the roars of approval toward the war against Stone. Neji was staring at the Hokage in shock, his eyes wide open and glazed over. His mouth hung wide and his breathing seemed shaky. After a moment, they were able to make out some movements on his lips. He was muttering something...

"Oh my God..." He whispered. "This is bad."

* * *

Hinata turned around to see the girl that she had sensed. When she saw the girl smiling at her, she smiled back. But suddenly, the other's smile faded into a grim face.

"It's nothing personal, but I have to kill you now."

Hinata's surprise showed in her expression. _Kill me? _"Why? Who are you?" She asked cautiously.

The other girl sighed and answered, "My name is Risuki, and I have been ordered to kill Hyuuga Hinata."_  
_

The girl unsheathed her two deadly-looking knives, took one in each hand and dropped to the ground. Hinata followed the girl with her bloodline, wondering what she should do.

"If you don't come down here, I'll come to you." The unnamed kunoichi called up. "It's up to you."

Hinata hesitated to think for a moment, the sun was going to set soon. Naruto would be back in less than half an hour, but that might still be too long. It looked like she was on her own.

She dropped from the tree limbs and crouched into her familiar fighting stance. She begrudgingly realized that the sleeves of her new cloak coat felt a heavier than her old clothes. This was a problem, considering the fact that her style relied less on muscle power than quick movements and precise control.

But she wouldn't have any time to remedy that situation, the nameless girl jumped her before she could do anything about it.

Hinata jumped from the branch and landed on the ground a short distance below, then crouched into her fighting stance. She definitely wanted to try to resolve this without fighting, since it was a fight she didn't believe she could win.

"Why do you want to kill me?"

"Like I said, orders" The girl answered from behind.

"Orders?" Hinata gasped. Someone wanted her _dead_. "Who gave you that order?"

Without waiting for a response, she turned slowly, awaiting any surprise attacks, and looked at the forehead protector of her opponent. Sound Village. "Orochimaru ordered you to kill me?"

The girl looked somewhat disgusted. "Orochimaru wouldn't bother giving direct orders to underlings like me. His little Golden Boy, the Uchiha told me to."

The words hit Hinata like a ton of bricks. _Uchiha? Sasuke is trying to get rid of me? _"Please, I uh-" She didn't get a chance to speak, her opponent jumped again. She had let her guard down and had trouble focusing on the Sound girl's movements. This was definitely not going to end without a fight. "Jyuuken!" She called instinctively, preparing mentally and physically for her next move.

The girl moved first, jumping toward the seemingly weak Hyuuga girl with intent to end the fight right where her target stood. But no such luck, Hinata was well out of the way before any damage could be dealt. The young Hyuuga set some hand seals in motion and whispered something under her breath. Suddenly, her body vanished into thin air.

_She uses illusions of this level? _The Sound-nin thought to herself as she carefully examined her surroundings. _She might be stronger than Uchiha-sama had thought._

Moving on instinct, her left arm rose to block an invisible attack. The sound of metal against metal rang through the small forest as the Sound girl's deadly blade clashed with Hinata's standard-issue kunai. Hinata reappeared with a troubled expression. The blades disengaged and re-engaged, making another loud noise.

"I've trained with these knives since I was able to hold them. I've been fighting since before I could speak!" The sound girl taunted. "My body moves almost on its own, I can tell where you're going to attack by your footsteps and sound of your breath. I could even fight you with my eyes closed if you like."

Hinata pretended to ignore those comments and redid her seals, reactivating her invisibility.

"Nobody falls for the same trick twice." The girl laughed aloud and threw one of her knives, merely to show that she knew where she was. She was only half-surprised when the blade seemingly turned in midair and flew back toward its owner. She caught it and grinned. But the grin faded as she realized her mistake. _She wanted me to catch it! _

Hinata reappeared in front of her and pounded her right shoulder. The blast of precise chakra penetrated the skin and muscles, hitting the targeted chakra nodes and closing them off. She succeeded in paralyzing her opponent's right arm.

_Shit! I let this girl touch me! _The sound ninja girl scolded herself as feeling left her arm. It had looked like this fight would be easy from the beginning, but the strange Konoha girl seemed different now than she had before.

_I shouldn't have to use that ability. _She thought to herself. _This Hyuuga girl isn't worth that kind of power. _

She let her arm hang limp and heard the knife fall from her numb hand. _Damn. Only one blade now. _She cursed to herself. _I need to get more serious._

Hinata jumped back to safety when she felt the intense pulsations of energy within her opponent's good arm. Soon, a visible extension of the knife held in her right hand emerged, composed entirely of chakra.

The Sound girl scowled in Hinata's direction before disappearing into the forest surrounding them. Hinata gasped in surprise at the girl's speed, even fast enough for her Byakugan to struggle keeping up.

The girl sliced her extended blade through the trunk of a tree, cutting cleanly and swiftly. A strong push sent the tree toppling down toward Hinata, who was prepared for the attack.

The tree split down the trunk under the force of a Jyuuken thrust, then Hinata leapt into the treetops. _I can do this! I can fight!_

Hinata jumped before her opponent landed in front of her, on the same branch. Several leaps and fallen trees later, neither one seemed ready to back down, and Hinata knew time was on her side.

_Is she stalling? _The Sound ninja thought silently as Hinata dodged another swipe. _What's going on here? Is she waiting for something...? _The revelation rushed to her and her eyes shot open. _Uzumaki Naruto! She's waiting for him to come help her!_

Her body tightened in fear, partially because of what would happen to her if she messed up in this fight. If she lost it and the blonde missing-nin got away, Uchiha Sasuke would not be pleased. And the other reason for her fear was the fact that Uchiha wanted him, he must be special.

_But not as special as me. _She thought. _Either way, I need to take care of this girl fast._

A sideways dash brought her into the woods before she started to run away. When she was satisfied with her distance, assuming she was out of range of the Byakugan, she stood still on a branch and extended her senses. She could feel another notable energy coming from the East. _That must be the one Sasuke wants._

She gauged his speed, leisurely and relaxed. He obviously wasn't expecting anything. _Good, I have time to activate my power. I'll take out the girl, then capture the boy._

She focused for a few moments, gathering her natural energy and used it to unlock the hidden power within her. _Now I'll kill you._

She jumped back toward Hinata, back into Byakugan's extended range.

Her movements were quick, but not quick enough that Hinata couldn't see them. Our young heroine could make out completely changed features on what was presumably the same person. Her eyes and face had changed, and she looked almost like an animal. Where the knife had been gripped tightly before was an empty hand, and her fingernails had grown into razor-sharp knives.

The new form came with a new feeling, this killer intent was intense, so much that it could make some of the most experienced Jounin-class ninjas shake in fear. But Hinata didn't have time to be afraid, she had to get out of the way.

Unfortunately, though, her body didn't respond fast enough. Hinata watched blood spray across her field of vision. Her own blood.

In Hinata's head, life was at a standstill. Her opponent was fast, and getting faster. But this kind of speed was unimaginable. The girl from Sound had been standing hundreds of yards away, but had closed the distance in the blink of an eye, attacked with animal-like ferocity and sharp claws, then disappeared again.

_What was that? _She asked herself. _That speed... this feeling... Who is she?_

She slowly raised her hand to her face, where the sharp claws had sliced cleanly through her cheek tissue. She was bleeding heavily, and it hurt a lot. But it didn't seem too serious other than that.

She tore one of the sleeves off her coat and wrapped it around her face, covering one eye as well. But that didn't matter, she was a Hyuuga after all. She tied it tightly and looked around for that girl. She wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Suddenly, she heard a ruffling of leaves behind her, spun around and dropped into a defensive stance. But to her relief, it wasn't the girl.

"H-Hinata!" Naruto dropped the large supply bag he was carrying and ran up to the bleeding Hyuuga. "I thought I felt something weird! Why are you bleeding?"

"Uzumaki Naruto." He heard a voice from the woods. "I was hoping that I'd be able to kill her before you showed up, but she was stronger than I thought. That's okay though, you don't stand a chance against me."

"Who are you?" Naruto shouted in the direction the voice came from.

"It doesn't matter to you." The voice said. "But my name is Risuki."

"Risuki?" Naruto mumbled. "I've never heard of you. Why did you attack Hinata?"

Hinata dropped to her knees, then sat on the ground. The adrenalin was wearing off. Now that Naruto was here, her body was telling her to relax. "She's from Sound." She explained to Naruto.

"Sound?" Naruto looked at Hinata. "You mean... Sasuke."

"Oh, aren't you a smart one?" Risuki said with a laugh. "Uchiha told me to kill her, and if I bring _you_ to him as well, who knows what I'll get in return."

"You're working for _Sasuke?_" Naruto didn't sound happy. "That rotten bastard? You don't have any idea what happened between me and him, you don't even know what you're getting yourself into!"

"Ooh, are you threatening me?" Risuki replied with another laugh. "Let's see what you can do."

Naruto seemed to forget everything other than the girl from Sound at that moment. He still knew Hinata was there, he knew she was hurt, and it made him even angrier.

"You..." He murmured, clenching his hands tightly. "I'll teach you what it means to screw with people him! Not to mention me and Hinata!"

In a blur of blonde hair and black robe, the young ninja sped into the forest. He almost instantly found the girl, who had a surprised look on her face.

_He's good! _She realized. _More powerful than it looked like before, but I can still beat him with this._

Before he was able to reach her, she had leapt away and into the trees. He jumped onto the trunk and started running blindly to the branch she was on.

_He's fast too!_ Risuki watched as he dashed up toward her. _Almost as fast as me!_

In an unexpected burst of pure speed, he was already in front of her. Half of his face was hidden by his hands, which were folded together in a hand seal. "Burn!"

Her eyes widened as the underestimated ninja threw a fist at her chest. _To hit a girl there! That's so cheap!_

Her thoughts cost her though, because she hesitated. Before she knew it, the air in front of her had exploded. Heat and flames engulfed the space she had been standing in, as she was thrust backward by the blow.

Before she realized it, Naruto was above her as they both flew through the air.

"What are you?" She asked in a confused voice.

"You don't want to know." He said with a frown. "You're not worth my time."

The girl who had earlier introduced herself as Risuki, from Sound village, only smiled. "Well I'm not being serious either."

"Huh?" Naruto gasped, then hesitated as she tightly gripped his cloak, re-activating her monstrous power and letting her claws dig into his skin.

She spun him around a few times until she had enough momentum, then flung him toward the ground. The momentum also changed her direction, sending her safely onto another branch. She flipped over to hang upside-down, then thrust herself downward toward the blonde ninja.

Naruto slammed into the ground with a painful thud, but before he knew what happened, she landed on top of him, feet first on his stomach. "It's too bad I can't kill you." She muttered as he groaned in pain. "It would be so much easier."

"Damn you!" He muttered under his breath. "Get off me!"

"Sorry, but I think it's time I finished your girlfriend, so wait patiently until I come back." She stepped off his abdomen and walked to Hinata, who was sitting on the ground in exhaustion. "Say, little girl. Are you in love with him?"

Hinata only managed to nod and stare coldly at the girl. _Move! Move! She's going to KILL you if you don't move! _She internally yelled at herself. But it didn't do any good, she was frozen in place. And Naruto seemed to be having a similar problem.

"Neither of you can move right now." The Sound girl said with a blank expression. "It's a special power of mine." She then frowned at Hinata. "I'm sorry for this. I'm not like other people in my village... but I have to do my job."

"Huh?" Hinata gasped between heavy breaths.

"I'm only following orders."

Naruto struggled to get up, but to no avail. There was only one thing left he could do.

_Kyuubi, give me your power!_

**I thought you'd never ask. **The fox demon chuckled evilly inside Naruto's head. **Go ahead, take as much as you want. But this time, there are a few conditions.**

_Conditions? _Naruto asked quickly, he definitely hated the sound of that.

**Since this is just the first time, I'll make it simple. But from now on, every time you want my power, I will make you pay more and more, bit by bit.**

_But I thought I was able to tap your power on my own now!_

**Not any more. So, my first condition is easy: You must die.**

* * *

**-End of Chapter Twenty One-**

**Revised on 9/6/2011  
**


	22. Enemies to Allies

**-Chapter Twenty Two: Enemies to Allies-**

* * *

**My first condition is easy. You must die.**

_Done!_

**I thought you'd agree.**

Risuki hovered over Hinata, holding one clawed hand over the young Hyuuga's throat. "It's only one life."

Before she finally sliced through, she felt something behind her. Something terrifying.

Both girls turned to see Naruto laying on the ground, with evil red chakra seeping from every chakra hole on his body. A malevolent presence filled the air and both girls could have sworn they heard mad laughter ringing in their ears.

Naruto started squirming on the ground, Hinata's face brightened as she watched. _He's still moving! He can stop her! _

But faster than a heartbeat, her expression changed to one of horror as the blonde boy let out a blood-chilling scream. She realized that he was writhing in agony.

Dark chakra continued to seep out and envelop his body as he continued to scream. Slowly, a trickle of blood rolled down his arm from his clenched fist, and another from his mouth. His teeth gnashed together and his eyes shut tightly.

After the most physically unbearable thirty seconds of his life, he slowly began to stand up. Slowly, shakily, and not in the best fighting shape.

He opened his mouth only to cough up a lungful of blood, then murmured as loudly as he could. "You call that easy, you damned demon?"

"D-Demon?" Risuki stared at the now-extremely-intimidating Uzumaki Naruto. "What could Uchiha want with him? Does he want this power?"

"Get away from her." Naruto mumbled as loudly as his blood-soaked lungs could handle. "Or I promise I'll kill you."

Risuki jumped away from Hinata and tried to calm down. "What are you?"

"Your worst nightmare." Naruto said with a dark red glare that sent chills down the spines of anyone within a five mile radius. "Hell, I'm your worst nightmare's worst nightmare!"

* * *

"Something wrong, Ryu-san?" The shopkeeper asked worriedly. Ryu was a regular at this particular restaurant stand, and the store owner knew him somewhat well. And the look on his face was far from normal.

"I just thought I felt something." Ryu said with a shrug. "It's gone now."

"You ninjas and your hidden senses." The man said with a chuckle. "I'll bet you train all day to hone it."

Ryu laughed along. "Something like that, if you call being constantly tormented by a loud, obnoxious, foul-mouthed, trash-talking tomboy 'training'."

"Your girlfriend?" The keeper asked with a hearty laugh. "Sounds like my wife."

Ryu chuckled. "No, she's not my girlfriend. Merely a companion, and a temporary one at that."

"It's hard for a boy your age to spend time with a girl and not be interested in her." The man said with a knowing grin.

"Well, you may be right." The brown-haired teen smiled. "She does have some redeeming qualities. She's not too hard to look at either."

The store keeper chuckled some more. "Well good luck, whichever it may be."

"Thanks." Ryu said with a smile. But the smile quickly transformed into the same concerned look he had a moment. "I have to go."

Before anyone knew it, Ryu was gone, and a small stack of coins was left in his seat.

The owner picked up the payment and smiled. "Such a good boy. His mother must be proud."

Ryu was already traveling as fast as he could toward the strange sensation. It was something new to him, but not entirely new. He had felt something similar a few years before, when a certain young Genin and his teacher had passed through Wave country.

That was back before Ryu himself had decided to abandon the village of Mist, not because of any real crime or personal grudge, but because he just hated the politics of a ninja village.

He became sort of a roaming traveler, trying to help out whenever he could, and never turning down any payment. He had to stay alive after all, and the people he ran across were always so impressed with his politeness, and were always generous when awarding him with a meal or a room for the night.

But about a year after leaving the village, he ran into the Sound base in Tea Country. He literally _ran_ into the base. He had been running from some Hunters from Mist and decided to hide out. The guards wouldn't let him in and he was forced to incapacitate them. When he got in, the leader of the base asked him what he wanted. He explained that he needed a place to stay the night, and somehow, she let him stay.

He didn't leave the next day, and wound up sticking around for several months, usually spending his time with the leader of the installation, Risuki. He never did ask her last name, but he didn't care.

Somehow, he had befriended the girl, and even the entire installation that she was stationed at. They all accepted him as a comrade, and even let him live there for the past several months.

They would hire him when someone needed to be dealt with, or when there was a mission that was just too troublesome or boring for them. And the missions always got done.

Fast-forward a few months. He suddenly found himself developing feelings for the ill-tempered girl. It was troublesome at best, and at its worst it was more likely to be the end of the world, in his opinion at least.

But now he forgot all that. There was something strange going on in the forest, and he had a very bad feeling about it. And something told him Risuki was doing something stupid that was going to get her killed.

He hurried as fast as he could, flying through the treetops at speeds even he would imagine terrifying under different circumstances. That was when he felt that all-too-familiar aura. "Naruto is here?" He shuddered. "Then what was that other power? It felt so similar to Naruto's. And is Risuki involved in all this?"

He managed to pull an ounce of extra speed, praying that it would be enough to get him wherever he needed to go.

* * *

"Naruto..." Hinata was more worried than excited, especially after that display a few moments ago. "Are you okay?"

Naruto managed to nod his head. "I hope so."

Risuki felt like a cornered rat now. This was some power she had never felt before, and it seemed too familiar. It was just like her own.

She jumped back, somehow extending her sharp claws until they were a few feet long, then jumped at Naruto with every drop of intensity she could muster.

The blonde staggered clumsily to the left in time to avoid a deadly injury, but his arm got slashed.

_Why haven't you healed me? _He asked the demon inside him.

**I brought you back to life, didn't I? **The demon replied with a chuckle. **You have my power, it should be more than enough to beat her.**

Naruto sneered and stared at the girl. She was fast, much faster than he could pray to keep up with in his condition. He was amazed that he was able to even stand after what had just happened.

He decided to give it a shot though, and raised his left arm, the one that was still relatively unscathed, and sent a trail of red chakra forward and toward the girl.

She barely dodged the attack, staring in fear at the source of the insane power, then came back at him with her claws at the ready.

Another blast of red chakra sent her flying into the air, then he tried to lift his right arm. To his surprise, it worked perfectly, even with the injury he had sustained. He lifted his right arm until it pointed at Risuki, who was now trying to gain control of her movement through the air. Red chakra extended in the shape of a hand, grabbed her, then pulled her downward. She smashed into the ground with a heavy crash, leaving a small crater when she stood back up shakily.

Naruto grimaced as he realized that his internal organs weren't holding together. He knew that he wasn't going to last much longer in this fight.

His vision started blurring all of a sudden, and he struggled to stay up. There wasn't enough oxygen getting to his brain, and one can only run on adrenalin for a few short moments.

Risuki didn't know what was going on, but that boy who had seemed all-powerful a moment before suddenly started to waver.

_It's my chance! _She mentally shouted as she started her mad dash toward the boy.

It was all the blonde teen could do to stay upright, how was he supposed to defeat her like this? _You stupid demon, heal me or Hinata's going to die!_

**You're right, but this girl... she won't kill you. And I don't have any reason to help Hinata. That wasn't part of the deal. Looks like you've run out of time.**

_If she dies, I promise I'll end BOTH our lives._

**Something tells me you won't do that. You've still got to kill Sasuke after all.**

_Screw you! _ Was all Naruto managed to internally scream before he collapsed. Fortunately, his collapse was sudden, Risuki ran straight through the space he had been standing in a few moments before.

He was still conscious, despite all the laws of medicine screaming in his mind telling him he should be dead.

"Be glad I'm not going to kill you Naruto-kun." Risuki told him as she stepped forward. "Well, I might. But it won't be intentional."

Her claws extended even more. She pointed her fingers toward his gut, which was already torn up enough on the inside, and thrust them through him and into the ground underneath.

He didn't notice the extra pain, it didn't add much to what he was already feeling. It was enough, however, to send him into unconsciousness.

"You should have just left this place before I found you. I really don't _want_ to hurt either of you. I just have to."

Before she realized it, another person was already on the ground behind her, and she heard that person scoop up Hinata and jump into the trees.

Hinata didn't know exactly what was going on, but she heard a comforting voice.

"I don't know who you are, but you don't seem to be in the best of situations." It was a male voice, about the same age as herself, and somewhat light-hearted. "But a friend of Naruto's is a friend of mine."

Hinata almost shouted at that revelation. "You're friends with Naruto? Please help him!"

"That's the plan." The boy said with a smile. "But who was that other girl?"

"She said... her name is Risuki." Hinata answered. "From Sound village."

"Risuki!" The boy sounded surprised. "Okay, I'll go take care of this."

Risuki was waiting patiently on the ground for Hinata's rescuer, but she couldn't have expected his insane speed, all she saw was a flash of light reflected off a sword, and she heard the sound of a blade slicing through the air. She didn't realize what had happened until she noticed her claws were cleanly sliced at the fingertips.

"Who are you?" She asked the faceless opponent.

"Too bad." Came a voice which was familiar to her. "Even like that, you aren't worthy to see my blade."

"Ryu!" She shouted as he appeared in front of her, with his sword returned to its sheath on his back. "What do you want?"

"I want you to stop what you're doing!" He commanded with a menacing glare. "These are my friends!"

"They're my bounty!" Risuki challenged him. "Uchiha Sasuke..."

"That's not important." He said as he walked toward her, holding up one of her twin knives. "This is yours. Go find the other one while I take care of Naruto. We're done fighting for today."

Risuki seemed uprooted. "That's not your business! This is an order from my superiors!"

"From Sasuke?" Ryu asked smartly. "I thought you hated him."

"Piss off!" Risuki yelled at him, retracted her claws and suddenly seemed human again. After staring angrily at Ryu or a while, she walked away. "I'll go find my other knife..."

Ryu looked at the unconscious Naruto lying on the ground. "You sure got yourself beat up. But it's weird, I would have thought you could handle her."

By this time, Hinata had regained control over her body. She jumped down from the tree branch that Ryu had placed her and walked toward the boys.

"Umm... Thank you." She said with a bow. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come when you did."

"No problem." He replied with a smile. "I'm Ryu. Just Ryu."

"I'm Hyuuga Hinata." She replied. "If you don't mind, can we take Naruto to someplace safer?"

"If you have any ideas for a safer place, then sure. But first I'm afraid we'll have to wait for Risuki."

Hinata didn't like that idea, but Ryu seemed able to control Risuki well enough. "How do we know she won't do anything funny."

"If she does, I'll stop her." He responded lightly. "But I don't think we'll need to worry about that."

Ryu picked up Naruto and stood up. "Lead the way, Hyuuga Hinata-san."

"Shut up and wait for me, dumbass!" Came a screeching voice from behind them. "I swear, you had better have a REALLY good explanation for all this."

Ryu placed himself between the two girls, trying his best to make Hinata feel a bit safer.

* * *

Fuuma Hanzaki had finished his business with the Shugokage representative an hour earlier. He was especially pleased to see Naruto himself come. Unfortunately, though, Sasame had still been in Waterfall.

He was glad at the news that Naruto had gathered more members, and especially glad to hear that Waterfall had almost completely recovered from the surprise attack. But he could have sworn he sensed Naruto's power a while ago, and that was never a good sign. He almost expected someone to knock on his door with an unconscious Naruto and a badly beaten, or dead, ninja who wound up fighting the boy.

What surprised him though, was the fact that that had actually happened. Three strangers had arrived on his doorstep with an unconscious, and near-dead, Naruto. The boy that was carrying the blonde seemed completely untouched, while the two girls standing on either side of him were both in sore shape.

He immediately let them in, Hinata did what she could to heal Naruto's beaten body, but wasn't able to do much for herself. She didn't have much practice in self-healing.

After a while, Hanzaki and the other boy were in the living area, while Naruto slept in a secluded bedroom with no windows, away from prying eyes.

"Hanzaki-sama." The boy politely bowed. "My name is Ryu. Thank you for letting us use your home. I fear that Naruto would have a rough recovery without you, as it seems he doesn't have anywhere to go around here."

"That's not a problem at all." Hanzaki replied with a hearty smile. "He's a good kid, it'd be a shame if he died."

The old Fuuma was being careful not to divulge any information, lest he regret it later. So he decided to wait for the girls, one of them had to be on his Shugokage team.

The first to arrive was the brown-haired girl, her two knives gleamed as she walked in. Hanzaki was sure she kept them shined so they'd be more intimidating.

"Risuki, I need to talk to you." The boy said. "Please excuse us for a moment, Hanzaki-sama."

"Sure, go ahead." He replied.

Hinata walked into the room soon after, with a large gauze bandage taped to the side of her face. The poor girl looked like she'd had a very rough day.

"So what's your name?" Hanzaki asked with a friendly smile.

"I'm Hyuuga Hinata." She replied as she sat down on the floor across from him. "Thank you for letting us use your home. We were lucky enough to find you without being seen."

"No problem." He replied. "So you're the one he left Konoha with, huh?"

"Yes." Hinata replied. "We left almost a year and a half ago."

"How's his condition, I'm sure you were checking on him before you came up here."

"He's stable." She replied. "I'm tired, so there's not much I can do. I might be able to get him conscious by tomorrow, but I don't want to rush it."

"Tomorrow?" He asked. "That's pretty fast! We have some extremely skilled medical ninjas in the Fuuma clan, and many of them aren't capable of that."

Hinata smiled for the first time in many hours. "Thank you. My teacher is much more skilled than I am though."

"Don't be so modest, it's really amazing for someone your age!" Hanzaki replied, then decided to get down to business. "So what happened out there?"

Hinata went about telling the story as best she could, but she would have to wait for Risuki and Ryu for the rest of the details from their point of view.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me about it?" Ryu asked, being his normal mysterious self.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Risuki replied, in her usual annoyed tone.

"You're a Jinchuuriki!" He yelled as loudly as he dared, acting completely out-of-character.

"A what?" She asked, confused. It was a term she had never heard used before.

"You have something inside you, a spirit, a monster with lots of power." He said, a bit quieter. "Someone like _you_ in Orochimaru's organization, I can't believe it!"

"What, you're afraid of me now?" She sighed. It had happened before, but everyone else who had ever known about it has died, so it didn't matter much

"No." He said, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her body gently. "I'm worried about you!"

"You cause most of my trouble, anyway." She grumbled.

"That's not the point." He said softly, after taking a moment to calm down. "The point is this: It's _dangerous_, very dangerous for you to be working for Orochimaru. Do you know what would happen to you if he found out?"

She shook her head, that thought had never crossed her mind. She assumed that Orochimaru _did_ know. But Ryu was making a good point. "No, I don't know."

"And you don't want to know!" He said sternly. "So what are you going to do?"

Risuki sighed and thought quietly for a moment, something rare with her. "Uzumaki Naruto... he's an interesting person."

* * *

"That's pretty much what happened up until now." Hinata finished her explanation.

With perfect timing, the two mysterious Shinobi walked into the room.

"Hinata-san." Ryu said politely. "Risuki would like to apologize."

"Shut up!" She bashed Ryu over the head with her fist. The boy sweat-dropped and sat down.

"Ummm..." Risuki started. "Sorry for all that trouble I caused before... I got caught up in my job."

"Her orders were to kill you." Ryu stated. "Sasuke wanted you out of the way so he could get to Naruto more easily."

"Yeah..." Risuki stared at the ceiling. "So no hard feelings right? It's not like I'm expecting us to become close friends or anything, I just don't want to be on anyone's bad side if I don't have to."

Hinata nodded. "Please apologize to Naruto when he wakes up."

"Okay." Risuki said with a strange frown as she tilted her head to the side. She seemed embarrassed, or ashamed.

"Hinata-san." Ryu spoke up again. "I understand you and Naruto are part of a group of mercenaries."

Hinata looked over at Ryu, who was still sitting in the corner of the room. "Something like that, yes."

"Would you permit us to accompany you?" Ryu asked with a smile. "She's decided to defect from Sound, because she hates Sasuke and Orochimaru. And I've been following her around for a long time, so I'm going with her."

The young Hyuuga girl looked only mildly surprised. Either she hid her surprise well, or she was expecting something like this. "I guess I'd have to ask Naruto, he isn't our leader or anything, but he seems to be the one with the plan."

Ryu looked utterly shocked. "That guy has a _plan_? You're kidding."

Hinata sighed. "He isn't what everyone thinks he is."

Ryu instantly regained control over his surprise. "Sorry. Anyway, I'm going to go finish the meal that you so rudely interrupted." He stated toward Risuki.

The brunette glared back at him and stuck out her tongue, making a "nyaa" sound. When he left, she sat next to Hinata.

"I'll be back in a few minutes." Hanzaki stated. "There's something I want to do."

"Hey, I'm really sorry about before." Risuki said softly. "I went overboard."

"It's okay." Hinata replied. "I've already forgotten."

Risuki stared at her with wide eyes. "But I tried to kill you. And I almost killed him. How can you be so forgiving?"

"Because you're just like Naruto-kun." She said, accidentally using the old suffix she had always used before, because she was tired and nervous.

"What are you talking about?" Risuki asked, confused. "What makes you think that?"

Hinata gave her a strange smile. "Sometimes I feel guilty because I can't understand what he goes through, so could you please... tell me what it's like to carry a monster like that inside you?"

The other girl's eyes widened. "Wh-what? We're the same? Me and him?"

Hinata nodded. "He'll want to talk to you later. Even if you didn't want to join, he'd ask you to. It's part of his plan."

"So that's what that was... that terrifying power." Risuki shook for a second. "It was... evil."

"Kyuubi no Kitsune." Hinata said softly.

Risuki shook even more at the mention of Kyuubi. "The Two-tails is corrupt and greedy, but the Kyuubi... I've heard some terrifying stories, but they don't compare with that feeling."

Hinata sighed sadly. "I don't understand much about it, but it affects him a lot. He has nightmares, weird conversations with himself, and what happened earlier today... it was like he was dying. I want to be able to understand that. I want to know what he's going through, maybe I'll be able to help a bit more if I understood."

"Hinata..." Risuki used Hinata's name for the first time. "I hope you never understand... I don't think you'd be the same person anymore. I can tell her cares about you, but he cares about you because you are who you are."

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked, confused.

"The kind of knowledge... the experiences that we have... they would completely change a person. They wouldn't be themselves anymore, most would probably go insane. I'm amazed sometimes that I'm able to handle it."

"But I want to understand... I want to know." Hinata stated.

"Well, you can't understand. And that's a good thing." Risuki stated simply.

There was silence in the room for a while before Hanzaki walked in.

"I've set up beds for each of you." He said. "You each have your own room."

"Thank you." Hinata said with a bow. "But I'll sleep in Naruto's room. To keep an eye on him, make sure nothing bad happens."

"I had a feeling." Hanzaki said with a sigh. "I'll have a bed set up for you in there then."

Before he left to do that, there was a knock at the door. "I wonder who that is... at this time of night?" He thought aloud. "I'll get it, you guys should hide."

Hinata and Risuki nodded, Hanzaki was a trained ninja and he knew exactly what to do to protect his guests.

He opened the door, then a surprised expression flashed across his face. "What are you doing here?"

"Uncle!" Came the frightened voice of a teenage girl. "I... I had a bad feeling, it felt like something had gone wrong. I wanted to come and help Naruto."

"Sasame?" Hinata asked as she stepped out of her hiding place. "You came alone? That's dangerous."

"Judging by the bandages on your face, I'd say you're the one who got into trouble."

* * *

**-End of Chapter Twenty Two-**

**Revised on 9/6/2011**


	23. Restless and Resting

**-Restless and Resting-**

* * *

In Konoha, something completely unheard of was happening. The international Chuunin Exams were being hosted inside the village during hostile negotiations. Many of the villages were on the verge of all-out war. One of them just needed to have the gall to attack. And this was most likely when it would happen.

Hyuuga Hiashi was unsure of the Hokage's decision to host the Chuunin Exams in Konoha, he felt it was a better idea for the Konoha exams to be closed to outsiders this month.

"That is logical." The Hokage had responded to Hiashi's comments. "But we must show that we do not fear them."

In turn he had revamped defense of the village. All of the Jounins that weren't supervising the event were stationed at strategic points across the village. Civilians were not permitted entrance to the Exams unless they were the family of someone taking place in the Exams. All Chuunin-class ninjas were patrolling, acting as moving eyes for the Jounins.

Hiashi was watching the opening ceremonies. Hanabi would be participating in the Exam this month, but for the moment she was seated next to him.

"Remember the first time we were here?" Hanabi asked quietly.

"Mm." He nodded. "When Neji lost to Naruto."

Hanabi was quiet for a moment. "Uzumaki Naruto... his words were powerful."

"Yes..." Hiashi responded. "They were, in a way."

"He fought with conviction." Hanabi said. "He completely believed in his cause."

"Yes..." Hiashi said quietly. "He did."

"He was unskilled" Hanabi said. "But he had... something. He even proved that Neji was wrong."

"Yes." Hiashi said, starting to wonder what Hanabi was getting at. "He did, and in turn, it did cause good things to happen. But that is in the past. Uzumaki Naruto is dead, and so is your sister."

"Father, was Uzumaki Naruto a bad person?" Hanabi asked earnestly.

"No. He was not a bad person." Hiashi admitted. "Sometimes, it takes death to make someone realize that."

"Then why did you disapprove of him so much?" She asked. This question was much more complex.

"He was... different." Hiashi stated more carefully. "Even if he was not a bad person, it is better for the world if he is gone."

"Why?"

Hiashi stumbled on that. He had to think for a moment, sure, it meant that the Kyuubi was gone forever. But Yondaime had certainly believed that Naruto would keep it at bay for that long. He couldn't really come up with an answer to even satisfy himself. "That, Hanabi, is the right question. But if fate would have him die, then it must be for a reason."

* * *

Neji and Lee, as Jounins, were stationed together near the South entrance of the village. Their duty was to make sure that nobody suspicious moved around too much, and to direct Chuunin-level ninjas to investigate anyone mysterious. If anything funny happened, they would end it before anyone could blink.

"I can't believe they're hosting the Chuunin Exams here at a time like this." Neji complained. "They're just _inviting_ an attack."

"Perhaps Hokage-sama is trying to show a confident front to avoid war." Lee said hopefully.

"I don't think so." Neji responded. "It's more likely that he's trying to intimidate other countries with overconfidence. The Exam is probably rigged in a way that makes the young Konoha ninjas seem very powerful. That would mean, to whoever is watching, that the entire village must be very powerful."

"That's also possible." Lee admitted. A few moments of silence passed before Lee decided to mention what was on both their minds. "What do you think _they're_ doing right now?" He was talking about Naruto and Hinata, who they knew were alive.

That wasn't exactly the question Neji was expecting. A few flashes went through his head of what a boy and a girl would be doing alone, away from home, when nobody knew they existed. He wasn't sure he liked the scenes he saw. "I don't want to think about it."

Neji didn't know it, but about half of the scenes he had imagined had actually happened. But it was definitely for the best that he didn't know.

Lee took this the wrong way though. "I see, sorry I brought it up."

"No." Neji stopped him with a smile. "It's not that, just the way you asked the question. I do wonder what's going on out there."

"Sometimes I'm jealous." Lee said as he looked over the horizon. They were standing on top of the tallest building in the area, and the fields and plains beyond the forest were visible. To the East, you could almost see the ocean. "I wonder what adventures they must be having, and I wish I could do the same."

"I'm sure there is much more than happy adventures." Neji interjected Lee's fantasy imagination with his own reality. "They might even be in grave danger as we speak."

"Yeah... you're right." Lee said sadly. "But they are fighting for a cause."

"That's true." Neji said with a nod. "Their cause is probably against the intentions of Konoha as well."

"If that's the case..." Lee stopped for dramatic effect. "Whose side do you choose?"

"I'll fight for Konoha, for now." Neji responded simply. "Naruto's ways lack proper direction, and his plans will likely divert from what he wants them to. No matter how just his original intent, without direction, it will always turn dark."

"How do you know that?" Lee argued.

"There are many examples. Uchiha Sasuke, Orochimaru, The previous Kazekage."

"I don't think that Naruto-kun will go wrong." Lee stated boldly.

"He may not, but his cause?" Neji replied darkly. "Time will only tell."

* * *

Kakashi and Kurenai were stationed together by chance. Kakashi had his nose in a book while Kurenai kept a watchful eye out for any intruders.

"How's the plot developing?" Kurenai asked with so much sarcasm it might trigger a heart attack.

Kakashi seemed completely oblivious to the sarcasm. "It's really interesting, as a matter of fact. The hero's second lover has just found out about his wife, she's decided to settle it by making him decide which of them is better in bed, but his first and third lovers are planning on crashing the threesome and turning it into an-"

"I don't want to hear any more..." Kurenai replied with a dark glare. "Just do your job."

Kakashi pulled his face away from the pages of his book. "I am doing my job." He replied simply. "If there's an attack, I'll just have to read and fight at the same time."

"You seem pretty confident that there won't be an attack." Kurenai said with a sigh.

"There won't be." Kakashi replied from within his book. "We're expecting it."

Kurenai sighed and slumped over on a folding chair. Kakashi had brought two, in the event that they got tired of standing. "You might have a point."

"I do have a point." He replied. "Besides, life is too short to worry about an attack too much."

"You're just babbling now." She said, slightly less tense now.

"Kurenai." Kakashi said after a few moments. "Do you want to get a drink when the Exams are over?"

Kurenai was surprised, but didn't let it show. "Why would I go out with you?"

"Because I'm just that good." Kakashi replied with a matter-of-factly tone and no noticeable change in his expression, partly due to his mask.

Kurenai, who had been holding a stern and uninterested expression until now, had not been expecting him to say something like that so quickly. After a stifled laugh, she stood up again and pretended to keep watch. "I don't see any good reasons to decline... well, unless you plan on doing something from that book."

"They don't actually _do_ that stuff in the book..." Kakashi informed her in a popmpous, matter-of-fact tone. "It's just _extremely heavily implied_ that the do it."

* * *

Some distance away from Konoha, in a place with just as much tension, Naruto was still out cold, or so everyone thought. It had been a few days, and Hinata had healed his body, for the most part.

She also had a bandage covering the right side of her face, from the wound that Risuki had given her. It was hard for her to heal herself, especially her own face. It had something to do with focus and concentration, Shuuzen-sensei had told her.

Sasame had shown up a few days earlier, completely unannounced. She had traveled through enemy territory on her own, only on a hunch that something would go wrong. When she had shown up at her uncle's home, Hinata was bruised and beaten, Naruto was down for the count, and there were two complete strangers.

She had found out after a short time that one of these strangers was the reason for their situation. But Hinata had assured her that they were both trustworthy, especially the boy who called himself "Ryu".

Sasame seemed overly worried about Naruto, she seemed even more worried than Hinata to some. But that was because Hinata could at least do something for the boy, Sasame however felt completely useless because she didn't have any healing powers or any knowledge of medicine. She had to make up for this with worrying and asking if there was anything she could do to help.

Hinata definitely didn't mind the help, but to the others, Sasame was being suspiciously worrisome. They didn't know exactly why, but still decided not to think much of it because Hinata seemed to trust the girl, and because they were staying in her uncle's house.

"How do you know those people anyway?" Risuki asked her traveling companion.

Ryu looked up, a bit surprised. "I never told you? I met Naruto about a year and a half ago while he was traveling with Jiraiya-sama. We trained together for a while, he's really a great guy."

"What's so great about him?" Risuki asked in an almost annoyed tone. It seemed that Ryu couldn't stop saying good things about the pair from Konoha.

"I don't know really." Ryu answered simply. "He's determined, hardworking, a bit clumsy. I guess you could say he's very _real_."

"Real?" She asked, this time adding even more of an 'I-don't-care-but-I'm-asking-anyway' sound in her voice.

"He's not a perfect example of anything, he has flaws." Ryu explained. "I know that nobody is really perfect, but most people try to show the world that they are. He, on the other hand, doesn't do anything to cover his imperfections."

"I don't think I'll ever get you." Risuki said with an exasperated sigh.

The boy only grinned at that. "That's the plan."

Hinata was sitting by his bed, waiting for him to wake up. She knew everything would be okay, but was still worried about him.

He was, in fact, completely awake, just in a different place.

* * *

"Not this place again." He sighed. He seemed to be in the same white and featureless room as before. The same disoriented feeling, and the same lack of a sense of time or distance.

Before too long, a door opened somewhere on the wall, of course he couldn't really tell if it was right or left or up or down or whatever the hell direction it was, but it was open, and a girl about his own age, or appearing that way at least, was standing in the doorway. In this world you really couldn't tell what appearances meant.

"Uzumaki Naruto." She said with a smile. "It's been a while."

Naruto grumbled and went toward the door, once again transitioning to a completely different gravitational plane without knowing how he did it. "So they sent a girl this time?"

"Do you have something against girls?" She asked, seeming somewhat frustrated.

Naruto was a little surprised about this. He didn't really expect such a directed response, not after he was given vague directions and lack of explanations the last time he was here. "Sorry, I didn't really think it would make any difference. Well, something like that."

"I know what you mean." She said, startling him again. "You expected something like 'What is girl?', or some other comment that wouldn't make any sense to you."

"Um... yeah." He said, wide-eyed at the fact that this girl was speaking like a normal human being. "How come you're normal? Well, compared to that other guy."

"I guess you could say that I'm more like you than I am like the other people here." She answered, very vaguely. "I brought you here to warn you. When you did battle with the Death God, Kyuubi managed to separate himself from you, but only a tiny bit. And the same thing happened again, when you died and came back to life."

"So?" Naruto asked, confused.

"So you can't just take its power anymore." She explained. "And it may mean that some day, it may find a way to completely escape your grasp. If that happens, both our worlds will collapse. Don't let that happen, your destiny is too great for that."

"Wait, my destiny?" Naruto asked, but the world around him swirled together, melding the white walls with the other white walls. Everything was a spiraling blur, everything except that woman.

"Your destiny" She repeated. "No, our destiny, is greater than you can imagine."

* * *

"Come back!" Naruto shouted, but it was too late. He was in his own world again.

"Naruto-kun!" He heard someone yell. He was still too disoriented to know who it was.

_I was only there for a short time, or something like that... Not much happened... but I could have been out for days! _He realized.

"Naruto-kun!" The voice repeated, this time much closer. He recognized it now, it was Hinata.

"You're calling me that again?" He said with a smile.

"She was really worried." He heard another voice say. "She wouldn't move from that spot."

"Huh?" He turned to the voice. What he saw startled him. "YOU!" It was the girl that had been attacking Hinata, and who he had fought. "What are you doing here!"

"Naruto." He heard another, much calmer voice. "She's with me."

He knew this voice was familiar, and he turned around to the other side of the room. Leaning on the wall was a familiar young man, about the same age. "Ryu?"

Ryu sighed and pulled away from the wall. "Looks like I've got some explaining to do."

* * *

"And that's the story." The brown-haired boy finished.

Naruto turned to the girl, who had been very silent the whole time. "You're Risuki huh?"

"Yes." She said quietly.

"And you're another one like me?" He asked, this time with a slight smile.

"Yes." She responded. "And I would understand if you refuse, but I'd like to... well, to join you and Hinata."

Naruto looked a bit surprised, Ryu had left that part of the story out. "Why?"

"I don't like Sasuke." She replied. "Or Orochimaru."

Naruto looked thoughtful. After thinking very hard for a few moments, he finally spoke. "What do you think we should do about these uniforms? I think mine got in the way when I fought you."

Everyone in the room was deadpanned on the floor. Risuki was the first to get up, and yelled crossly at Naruto. "What about me? Am I in or not!"

Naruto looked at her with a confused expression. "Of course." He said with a light laugh. "I thought that was obvious."

"Naruto is a very forgiving person." Ryu explained before Risuki could get any more confused, or angry. "Live and let live, or something like that."

"I'm just glad none of us were _seriously_ hurt." Naruto said with a smile. "Hinata, is it safe for me to get up?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes, but be careful. Your body isn't fully healed, we should stay here until you're able to make it back to the base."

* * *

Night fell just a few hours later, everyone was fast asleep, except for Naruto and Risuki. He was able to sleep just fine, thanks to Hinata, but he wanted to talk to Risuki alone.

"So, the Two-tails, huh?" Naruto said quietly, staring at nothing. They were sitting on a couch that Hanzaki had in a room for no apparent reason. "What's it like?"

"It's greedy and cruel, sometimes it wants me to do tasks for it, sometimes it just plays games with my head. But usually, it just sits there quietly and lets me use its power."

"I wish Kyuubi was like that." Naruto said with a sigh. "I used to never get any sleep, and I can't use its power without paying a price first. Lately, it seems to have somehow pulled away from me, separated itself. I don't know what that means, but I have a feeling it's not good."

"I'm sorry." Risuki said, acting much differently now than she had earlier. She was quieter now, and seemed to actually take others' feelings into consideration.

"Don't be." Naruto said. "We're the same, so we should fight it together."

Risuki seemed startled by that. Hers and Naruto's eyes met for a second, and she saw something she hadn't expected: he really wanted her on his team.

_Uzumaki Naruto, huh? _She thought silently. _A very interesting person. _

A few moments of silence later, and Naruto was pulled mentally into another realm. This time he was once again standing in the watery prison of the Kyuubi.

_I can't use your chakra anymore? _Naruto asked simply.

**Not unless I decide you may. **Kyuubi replied with a sneer. **And only if you meet my terms as well.** **But don't worry, you still have the other abilities you've picked up from me.**

_What? _

**Simply put, you still have the elemental powers of my nine tails, and you still have the extra senses that you've been using.**

_What, you couldn't pull those away from me?_

**I just thought I'd give you a break. It's not like you can do anything to stop me, so I've decided to play nice for a while.**

Naruto was thrust back into reality, he noticed that it hadn't been more than a few seconds since he'd left, but something was different. Risuki was looking at him worriedly.

When she realized that he noticed her, she quickly looked away. "What did it say?"

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

"The Kyuubi, you were talking to it." She answered. "I don't know how I knew, I just... knew."

Naruto sighed heavily, he probably shouldn't keep anything like this away from his partners, since it directly affected how he would be fighting. "It was just giving me a few more rules to follow. I can't use its power anymore."

"Why?" Risuki asked, she had never been deprived of power from the Two-tailed cat.

"I don't know." Naruto answered. "But the Kyuubi has been more and more cryptic lately."

"Be careful." Risuki warned. "We don't know what that thing is really capable of." Then she smiled. "And don't tell Ryu that I'm capable of being nice, it would completely ruin the image I've built up for him."

Naruto smiled too. "Something tells me we'll get along just fine."

* * *

The next morning, Naruto awoke with a sigh. It was a happy sigh, because he woke up next to – of course – Hinata.

She was already awake, it seemed. Since she was staring at him and all.

"Um... you okay?" He asked awkwardly. "You're staring."

Hinata blushed and moved a little closer. "It's been a while since we've been able to relax."

Naruto realized now that Hinata was very –_very _– close to him. He felt her breasts against his chest. He realized that they felt a bit larger than they looked under her loosely-fitting clothes. Then something rare happened, he blushed.

Hinata had been scraping up the courage to do this all morning, waiting for him to wake up, then execute her master plan. But actually doing it was a bit different than planning it. Shoving away all her nervousness, she finally closed the few inches between their lips.

* * *

Far away, in the rebuilt Waterfall Village, Jiraiya's skin tingled with a familiar sensation. He slowly looked around, eyeing everyone very carefully. When they noticed his sudden serious nature, they became nervous and started looking around too.

After a few moments of scanning the area, Genka decided to find out what was going on. "Jiraiya, what's wrong?"

Jiraiya looked her dead in the eye. For him to act this serious, something huge must be happening. After a few moments, he spoke. "Something sexy is happening. And I'm not there to watch."

* * *

**His pervert sense is tingling!**

**Revised 9/7/2011**


	24. Hidden Feelings

-**Hidden Feelings-**

* * *

"What's going on?" Sasame asked nobody in particular. She had heard a noise coming from Naruto and Hinata's room. She wasn't sure why Hinata insisted on sleeping in Naruto's room even though he was fine now.

She decided to find out if everything was okay, and approached the door. From inside, she could hear muffled moaning and could faintly make out the sound of ruffling sheets or pillows. _What if someone's trying to suffocate one of them!_ She thought internally. _I have to help!_

She turned the knob, but to no avail. _Damn! It's locked._ So she decided to just break it down, she was a ninja after all.

The door came down with a crash and Sasame leapt into the room. She couldn't see any assailant, but that didn't mean anything. She looked for the beds to make sure everything was okay. She gasped when she realized something. _That bed is empty, what if they took one of them away!_

She gasped yet again when she realized what she had just jumped in on. There in that other bed, Naruto and Hinata lay staring straight at her, both of them intensely red in the face. Sasame's face followed suit and became red as an apple.

The couple were awkwardly sprawled across the sheets, and it didn't look like they had been asleep a moment before.

Both girls screamed and Sasame quickly ran out of the room, screaming apologies that couldn't really be heard clearly.

Fortunately, while everybody heard the screams, they knew it was probably nothing. Especially since Sasame came crashing through the living room blushing and nearly in tears with embarrassment.

"What happened?" Risuki asked crossly, they noise had disturbed breakfast.

"N-nothing!" Sasame nearly shouted. "I'm going out!"

"What's with her?" Risuki asked, turning to Ryu.

He only shrugged and looked at the door the girl had dashed out of. _Good question._

* * *

Back in the bedroom, Hinata was still blushing _furiously._ To think that someone had walked in on _that!_ She felt like she was going to die. Sure, they were still – for the most part – clothed. But the fact that someone _saw_ what was going on, it scared her half to death.

Naruto was trying desperately to calm her down, to no avail, it wasn't helping.

"Hey, don't worry." He whispered after a while, the awkward silly mask wearing off. "It was only Sasame."

"What if she tells everyone?" Hinata murmured.

"She won't." Naruto replied with his characteristic big smile. "If we ask her not to, I'm sure she'll understand."

A few minutes later, they were both dressed and downstairs for breakfast. Naruto knew he would have to think of something to explain the busted-down door, but he wouldn't worry about it at that moment.

Risuki turned to Naruto with a questioning look. "Hey, you guys know what was wrong with that girl a few minutes ago?"

Naruto smiled awkwardly. "She uh... walked in on me while I was changing."

Hinata sighed with relief, she wasn't sure that he'd be able to come up with something on the spot like that. The hard part was over.

"I could've sworn I heard _two_ voices screaming." Ryu interjected.

"Um, Hinata also walked in on me changing." Naruto said as sweat drops formed on his forehead. "I wouldn't have expected Sasame to freak out like that, Hinata maybe, but not Sasame."

Hinata would have been hurt by that comment if she wasn't too focused on the embarrassment. Hinata, slightly less flustered by the after a few minutes, had a feeling that they should go check on Sasame. "I'll be going out for a while. To see if Sasame is alright."

"Okay." Ryu said. "I need to talk alone with Naruto anyway."

"Whatever." Risuki muttered. "Nobody cares about me anymore."

"Be careful, Hinata." Naruto said with a smile.

**"**What did you need to talk about?" Naruto asked, wondering what could be so important that Ryu had to make sure nobody was listening.

Ryu was in an unusually serious mood, and Naruto could tell that this was something important. "You know that Risuki is like you, right?"

Naruto nodded slowly. "Yeah." He said in his emotionless ninja voice. "I could tell when I fought her."

Ryu sighed heavily. "I've known her for a while, a few months now, but she never told me. I realized right away when she was fighting you, but... I thought she trusted me."

Naruto's eyes widened a tiny bit as he wondered where this was coming from. The Ryu he knew a few years back was always calm and collected. He always seemed to be on top of everything. He had a witty remark for everything, and had a new way to innocently tease Jiraiya about his perversion every day. But he was acting completely different now.

"It's not really something you tell everyone." Naruto whispered, not out of secrecy, but because of the painful subject. "I've only told two people, in my entire life, there are only two people that I've trusted enough to tell them."

"Who did you tell?" Ryu asked out of curiosity.

"The first person I told was the Kazekage, Gaara. The other is Hinata."

"Hinata... that girl, the Hyuuga. Is she your... um... lover?" He asked awkwardly and diverted his eyes. Romance was never his strong point, but Naruto didn't need to know that.

Naruto blushed. "Um, sort of... I mean... well... I do love her, but we don't really do anything. Well, we do stuff, but not _that_ stuff..."

"How did you get a Hyuuga anyway?" Ryu asked suspiciously.

Naruto seemed utterly appalled. "What are you talking about! You think I wouldn't be able to get whoever I wanted?" He almost yelled, then calmed down a little, to let his romantic side show just a tiny bit. "The way you say it, it sounds like I own her or something. No, if anything, I'm hers."

_Okay. _Ryu thought. _He's whipped. Oh screw it, I'll have to ask him. _"Hey, Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"Seriously, what did you do that she likes so much about you?" Ryu asked.

"I don't know, apparently she's liked me for years, since before we became Genin." The blonde responded. "I guess she just noticed something nobody else did. Why do you want to know anyway?"

"It's nothing..." Ryu smiled oddly and turned around. Before he left Naruto alone, he turned back and said, "I was curious about how you did it, that's all."

"What was that all about?" Naruto wondered aloud.

**That doesn't matter right now. **He 'heard' that familiar voice. **We have more important business to attend to.**

_Huh?_

**I think it's time you trained a little, considering how useless you were against the Death God. You need to learn how to use my elemental powers.**

Suddenly, Naruto collapsed. His conscious mind was transported to deep within the seal. He felt himself falling through murky darkness until he splashed down into the sewer-like hallways of the prison holding his curse.

He stood up in the knee-deep water and stared up at where the cage that held the Kyuubi always was. But something was missing: the cage.

"What the hell!" Naruto screamed as he saw the giant monster, standing in front of him. "Where's the seal?"

Kyuubi chuckled deeply **It's over there. You're inside it.**

Naruto slowly turned around. No doubt about it, he was _inside_ the Kyuubi's cage. A sense of dread flooded over him as he realized that he might be in a lot of trouble. "H-How am I supposed to get out?"

**I'll tell you when you've completed the first part of your training. So let's get started. Since there is an abundance of water here, we'll start with that. I want you to focus clearly on the water.**

Naruto tried to do as he was told, but he couldn't find anything to focus on, not any specific point.

**I see you're having trouble with it. **The Kyuubi said with an evil chuckle. **Humans, really. To think I was sealed by such a simple-minded thing. Close your eyes and imagine a drop of water coming up from the pool. Slowly rising until it's at eye level. When you can see that in your mind's eye, I want you to open your eyes and see if you did it right.**

Naruto tried, he imagined a small drop of water coming up from the surface and lifted it up to about eye level, but when he opened his eyes, nothing was there.

**Try again, but this time I need you to place yourself in the vision. Imagine a drop of water rising from next to your knees, place it in front of your face. When you open your eyes, I want you to hold it there until I'm satisfied.**

The Blonde was getting tired of this, but did as told. He imagined a drop of water rising from the surface, but this time he imagined himself standing next to the rising drop. He lifted the imaginary water drop to in front of his imaginary face. Then he opened his eyes. There was still nothing there.

**Your focus is too broad, what you imagine in your mind's eye is too vague. You were imagining yourself with open eyes, I'm sure. It needs to be precise. When you've mastered this then we'll move on to doing it on moving subjects with open eyes. Now try again.**

* * *

Ryu walked from the room back toward the living area. He saw Risuki walking down the hall toward him, and smiled in greeting. "Hey, Risuki. Have Hinata or that other girl come back yet?"

Risuki stopped walking and stared at the floor. "So you think I don't trust you?" She muttered. "Is that why you think I didn't tell you?"

"R-Risuki?" Ryu asked. "You were listening?"

Risuki nodded quietly. "I... I never trusted anyone. I was alone all my life, I had a monster inside me. But nobody seemed to know. My parents were dead, and I was raised by a cruel man who constantly reminded me of my curse. He was the only one who knew about it. He could be the one who sealed it inside me for all I know."

"I don't even know if I was related to him, or if he was a friend of my parents." She said as she slipped one of her weapons from its holster. "But when I was nine years old, I decided that I would change my life. I stole these knives from him. He collected rare weapons, and these looked the most useful. When I picked them up, I felt that they weren't normal blades. They almost seemed alive, they seemed like they belonged in my hands."

"I took those knives and attacked him. He stopped me easily enough, then he laughed. He asked me how a nine-year old girl could possibly defeat a great and powerful man like him. But he was complacent. He didn't know that I could draw the demonic energy. I didn't even know I could. I was angry, furious, to think that _this_ _man_ could oppress me like he did. Before I knew it, I had drawn an enormous amount of power and suddenly, he was dead. I had lost control and tore his body apart with the knives. His blood was everywhere, and I admit that I enjoyed it. I loved seeing him in pieces in front of me."

"I took care of myself from that day on, nobody knew where the man had gone. They all thought he had just left me there. That was good enough for me though, I didn't care if I got credit for killing him." She said shakily. "I decided to join the ninja village that had been founded nearby a few years before. Nobody there questioned a nine-year old girl living by herself, not as long as I took care of myself."

"I joined the Academy, graduated only a year later." She explained. "I was grouped with a bunch of idiots for my initial Genin team. They died on our first serious mission, I did avenge them, I slaughtered the Mist-nins that had attacked us while my Jounin instructor watched. He was proud of me, that I was so strong at a young age."

"He took me to the leader of the village, Orochimaru. That man was even worse than the one who had raised me, I could tell by just looking at him. Orochimaru decided to promote me, from a Genin to a Chuunin, on the spot. I wasn't on a team anymore, I requested to be a solitary assassin. After a few years of that, Orochimaru sensed that I was becoming more powerful. His plan to destroy Konoha had failed, and his arms didn't work anymore. He decided to promote me again, I became a Jounin and served directly underneath him for a long time."

"After a while, his hideout in Tea Country was destroyed by someone, so he sent me with a legion of Chuunin and Genin, and a few Jounin, to rebuild it. When it was done, I was put in charge of operations in that area." Her voice dropped to nearly a whisper. "That was when the nightmares started."

"I kept dreaming about that day, when I had killed that man." She said in a shaky voice. "The nightmares haunted me, so I vowed never to enjoy a kill again."

"In the years that I was in charge of that base, I was able to relax. My men were loyal, they were good men." She stated. "They were different from the scum that served directly under Orochimaru in the main village. I realized that was why he had sent them out to this middle-of-nowhere base. To get rid of the ones with morals."

"Eventually, a strange boy showed up at the front doors." She said with a strange smile. "He beat the guards into a pulp when they wouldn't let him in. He only wanted a place to spend the night, he told us. And we let him stay. But that boy was special. He had a bright outlook on everything, and his mysterious nature had the girls stationed there completely infatuated."

"Ryu... You showed up and changed everything, I started talking. I smiled every now and then." She said as tears started to roll down her cheeks. "That boy who just showed up for a place to spend the night. You never did leave."

"I liked it there." Ryu explained with a smile.

"Yeah..." She shook her head. "We started spending more and more time together, I liked spending time with you. You made me happy, you were the first person I ever trusted. But now I hear you telling that boy that you don't think I trust you."

She threw a fist, and felt it connect squarely with his cheekbone. "Idiot!"

Hinata ran through the streets, looking for Sasame. She had no idea where to look, or what to look for. She remembered to put up an illusion, a Genjutsu to make herself look unassuming and vague, someone that you'd never remember seeing. This was a necessary precaution considering the fact that she was supposed to be dead.

_I can't get any help from the people in the streets without looking suspicious. _She thought. It was true. Under normal circumstances she would be able to, but she couldn't take _any_ chances here. She was supposed to be dead, drawing any attention to herself in a public place like this town would be a bad idea.

She soon realized that she didn't know anything about this town, its layout or its inhabitants. This was going to be harder than she thought. _And I'm supposed to be the one who thinks ahead._

She decided to turn a corner into an inconspicuous alley and activate her special ability, the Byakugan passed down her family line for unnumbered generations. Soon enough, she could turn in any direction and see for miles, she could see Ryu and Naruto talking about something back at the Fuuma home. And she could see Risuki listening from the other side of the door.

This wasn't nearly as large a place as Konoha, but about the same size as Waterfall. She eventually found Sasame, sitting in a tree near the outskirts of town, crying.

_What could be wrong? _Hinata wondered to herself as she started running toward Sasame. She made sure to keep her speed at a normal pace, once again to keep attention away from herself. The Genjutsu didn't work as well if people were overly aware of the user.

Eventually she got close enough to hear faint sobs. "Sasame-san?"

The crying stopped immediately with a gasp. Sasame turned around so fast she nearly fell out from the tree. "H-Hinata." She said, greeting the Hyuuga with a false smile. "What's up?"

Hinata wondered what could be wrong, had something happened? Or was Sasame just embarrassed? "Um, are you okay?" she asked. "You were crying."

Sasame's face drooped downward a little, to divert her gaze away from Hinata. "It's nothing."

Hinata didn't buy it for a second. "What do you mean, 'nothing'?" She asked. "Something is bothering you."

Sasame completely turned away now, in case her emotions betrayed her. "I just wasn't expecting what I saw earlier."

Hinata was beginning to understand now. The younger girl wasn't embarrassed, she was heartbroken. "You love him too... don't you?"

There wasn't an answer. Sasame didn't know _how_ to answer that question. If she said she loved the boy, then she would be betraying Hinata, who had become a friend to her. If she said no, then she would be a liar.

Even before, she wasn't sure if she actually loved him, or if it was a crush. When he had been in her home before, before all the recent madness had happened, he had been crying in his sleep.

"'Hinata... Hinata... I need to go back there...' is what he said." Sasame muttered. "He was crying, I went to his room to find out what was going on. I found him asleep, the blankets were on the floor and he was shaking around restlessly. And he kept calling that word: 'Hinata'."

The Hyuuga girl just listened silently.

"I thought that he was talking about a place, but when I asked him he told me that it was the name of a girl he had been traveling with. That was when I first heard about you." Sasame continued her story. "I asked him if he was in love with you, but he just avoided the question. I didn't want that, I had to know if I had a chance, so I kept asking until he gave me a straight answer. He told me that he loved you, and I was jealous, sad, but I smiled and wished him luck."

Hinata had sat down at the base of the tree during the story, trying to take in everything Sasame was saying. "You do love him, don't you?"

"I wasn't sure then." Sasame answered in a near-whisper. "But now... sometimes I wonder, was I wrong? Should I have tried to tell him how _I _felt? He's not like other people, Hinata. He's completely different. He's the kind that doesn't care who you are, even if you're his enemy, he'll give you a chance. He loves everyone, he doesn't believe in enemies or allies, only humans. Brothers and sisters, that's what he sees. At least, that's what I think he sees."

Sasame was crying again as she spoke. "That guy, when I first met him, he was kind of obnoxious and clumsy. He constantly tried to get Sakura's attention, but she didn't care at all. At first, I decided that she must know him better than I did, so I assumed she was right. But he won me over when he tried to save my cousin."

"My cousin had been tricked by Orochimaru. He was loyal, brainwashed, and kept trying to kill all of us. But Naruto... he just wouldn't give up. We wound up running away as I watched my cousin die. I thought about it for a few days after Naruto and his friends left, what about the loud blonde ninja was so amazing? Why did my heart beat faster every time my uncle mentioned his name? Why couldn't I stop thinking about him at night?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, that name was permanently burned into my memories, even though I had only heard it once. The laughter, and the comforting smile, and his conviction, I didn't know why I couldn't forget any of it. Sometimes I thought it could be love. But I was so sure that love was when you met a handsome man who stole your heart with gallant deeds and romantic small talk. How could anyone love a short kid with a whiny voice?"

"I didn't let myself think I loved him, I just told myself it was a stupid crush on the boy who saved my life once or twice. I told myself that I was only eleven. Slowly, the memories faded. But he showed up again a few years ago with Jiraiya-sama. This time he was training abroad and they just came through town to get supplies. But they wound up staying a bit longer so Naruto could train with other people from my clan."

"I watched him every day. I couldn't take my eyes off him, he was beautiful. He suddenly didn't seem as much like a whiny annoying kid, but more like the handsome man I had imagined myself falling for. He didn't always beat my family members when they practiced, but he always had a smile on his face even if he lost. He was determined. He knew he would win the next round. And even if he didn't actually win that next round, he still smiled."

"That was when I realized why I could never forget the name Uzumaki Naruto. He was more than an annoying kid, he wasn't just a ninja either. He was different as a person. He made me see things differently. I stopped thinking in terms of normal people and Shinobi, or Jounin and Genin. I realized that there isn't any difference between a Kage and an Academy student. It didn't matter if you were a thousand times smaller or weaker than whatever or whoever was in your way, if you truly believed that you could make it, then you would."

"But then he left again." Sasame said, her voice changing back to a sad one. "I prayed that he'd come back some day, just so I could watch him more, just so I could learn more about the world through his actions. And when that day finally came, it was a few months ago. I had been only thirteen when he last saw me, and I had grown considerably since then. I somehow knew that he would be coming soon, so I was always in a good mood."

"When he did show up, I couldn't say anything to him at first. I expected him to do all the talking. But he just stared in silence like I did. It gave me hope, maybe he liked me. Maybe I could do more than just watch him from the sidelines. But then that night came. The night I watched him crying in our guest bed. After that night, I knew I didn't have a chance. After that night, I knew that I really did love him..."

Hinata felt a little guilty now, now she realized that she wasn't the only one who saw what was so wonderful about the boy. There were probably others who really saw the true Naruto, and they probably loved him just as much as she did, but she was the one who had him.

She knew that she shouldn't feel guilty, she deserved him. But still, the idea that she was taking something so wonderful away from someone else, it felt strange. But she knew that it would kill her to do anything about it, she wouldn't be able to do anything for them. All she could do was keep him to herself.

"Sasame... I'm sorry." Hinata said quietly. This time it was her turn to cry. "But I can't give him up... He's all I have left."

* * *

**-End of Chapter Twenty Four-**

**Revised on 9/7/2011**


	25. Kill One, Kill a Thousand

**-Kill One, Kill a Thousand-**

* * *

The Hokage had been sitting in his office, dreaming of glory and power when someone completely unexpected walked in the door. "M- Master!"

His master's face was shrouded in darkness, as it usually was. At the master's side was a silver-haired man with a patient look about him, and behind them were the two ANBU guards who had let them in. These two guards weren't originally from Konoha, but had been covertly inserted into Konoha's ANBU.

"Looks like you're having a good time, Hokage-sama" The master said with a fake entertained air to his voice. "The whole village is eating out of your hands, you really are a wonderful actor."

"Thank you, master." He said humbly – very humbly. "What is it you need of me?"

"I was just looking around I happened to be passing by, I wanted to check up on things. So what's the latest, Hokage-sama?" His voice became more sinister. "Is there anyone to get rid of?"

"I can't think of anyone off the top of my head." The Hokage said.

"I hear that Uzumaki Naruto was in town a while back, what's the latest on them?" He asked, his voice was just _dripping_ with curiosity.

"Both Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata are dead, Master." The Hokage said dutifully.

The master froze completely. "I contacted you not too long ago... why didn't you tell me that then?"

"It... It didn't seem important, Master." He said, fearful for his life. "Please forgive me."

The master though, only laughed. "Haha, not to worry." He said.

"I- I don't mean to question you... but what are you talking about?" Hokage asked, completely perplexed. His master was always a confusing person, but today he was acting very different. But it was only the third time he had seen the man in person.

"Oh, it's simple really." Master said. His voice was suddenly cold and hollow. "One doesn't just kill Uzumaki Naruto."

"What... what do you mean?" Hokage asked, Master was acting very strange.

"I'm saying that boy is alive." He answered. "Uzumaki Naruto, dead? What a joke."

"Then, does that mean... Jiraiya tricked me?" Hokage asked nobody. "That traitor!"

"Calm down, there's nothing we can do about it now." Master said. "Besides, I _want_ Naruto alive. For now, I'm going to survey the village."

"How do you plan on getting around? Your face is very well known here." The Hokage asked worriedly. "If you're seen, what would happen?"

"Oh?" Master said with a confused voice. "I guess you're right, I was famous around here, back in the day. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to make you file a full report instead."

"Thank you, Master. That is much better than risking yourself like that."

"I'm sure." He said quietly, turned and headed for the door.

"Oh, there's one last thing, Master." The Hokage said, remembering something. "You asked if there was anyone who needed to be killed, how about someone who opposes the war plan?"

"Not really." Master said, unconcerned. "Unless it's a somewhat important person, it doesn't really matter."

"What if it's Hyuuga Hiashi?" The Hokage asked with a smile. He knew that was an important person.

"Hmm..." Master seemed to think for a moment. "I'll look into it." Having said that, the mysterious man walked out the office doors.

The Hokage knew that by morning, Hyuuga Hiashi would no longer be a problem.

* * *

"What's up, Itachi? You're acting strange." Kisame said to his partner. "Something wrong?"

"It's nothing." Itachi murmured in his usual tone. "I was just wondering how Naruto-kun is doing lately."

"What are you doing, worrying about that brat?" Kisame asked, confused. "Sure, he's got the Kyuubi, but that's about it."

"Not necessarily" The Uchiha replied.

"What are you talking about?" His partner asked, even more confused now. Itachi was thinking strangely all the time, but this was a whole new level of strange.

"My younger brother..." Itachi explained. "He's started to move again, and he has an important with Naruto. We need to make sure that nothing goes wrong, and maybe Naruto can even help us."

* * *

On the way from Tea Country back to Waterfall Village, the trip was eerily quiet. The girls had barely said a word, Hinata was sticking closer to Naruto than usual. Ryu avoided eye contact with Risuki and preferred the area near Naruto, while Sasame avoided both Naruto and Hinata, staying closer to Risuki.

All in all, Naruto was confused as hell. "What's going on you guys, you're all acting weird."

"It's nothing..." Hinata said quietly. "You shouldn't worry about it."

"Yeah." Ryu agreed. "It's probably best left alone for now."

Naruto however, wasn't buying it. "Come on, is there some secret you're trying to hide from me or something?"

"To sum it up for you," Risuki said matter-of-factly. "Ryu is an ass, Hinata feels guilty and Sasame is emotionally distressed."

The three that she targeted felt a slight urge to shut the girl up. Although some comments like that were to be expected from Risuki, they had all come to realize.

"Huh?" Naruto looked genuinely baffled. "I'll leave the "Ryu is an ass" thing alone but-"

"Yeah, thanks for the support." Ryu interrupted sarcastically, feeling singled out as the bad guy.

"_But_" Naruto continued. "What's wrong with you guys?" He asked, looking at Hinata and Sasame in turn. "Something happen?"

"They had a very emotional conversation." Risuki explained. "Hinata found out that there's something that Sasame wants desperately. But that is something that only Hinata can have. Sasame is depressed because she can't have that wonderful thing, and Hinata feels bad because she can't help but keep it to herself."

"How do you know all that?" Naruto asked, even more perplexed than before.

"I'm a girl." She said annoyedly. "We talk to each other, they both talked to me about it last night. And you shouldn't ask about it any more until we get to your base, when they've both had time to settle their feelings."

Naruto was almost intimidated by the way Risuki handled the situation, with her matter-of-fact tone and not-really-interested attitude. She seemed to be someone to stay on the good side of, and she had a monster inside her on top of that.

"Maybe we should go a little faster." Hinata said. "I want to get home soon."

_Home? _Naruto was surprised, and more than a little happy at hearing her say that. He didn't know why he was so happy, but he knew it was the first time she had referred to Waterfall Village as her home. It was the first time anyone other than Osanai had. _It's our home._ He thought as he smiled at Hinata.

She caught his glimpse, his eyes had something in them that she hadn't seen enough of lately. Had she been the one to put the glow back in his gaze? She didn't know, but it didn't matter to her.

The pace picked up as they started dashing through the treetops with their chakra-enhanced muscles. But Naruto had a weird feeling scratching at the back of his brain. He couldn't tell exactly what it was, but he decided to ignore it and keep going. The sooner he got to Waterfall, the sooner he could introduce everyone to his new friends.

* * *

In the Waterfall Village, Genka and Shuuzen waited for the teens to return, completely unaware of the two new additions to their band of would-be heroes. They hadn't found out that Sasame had left until several hours after she was gone. But they weren't too worried, since she wasn't on Konoha's hit list.

Her mission to defend "Gami Enka" and her brother "Ruto", was still officially legitimate even though Enka and Ruto had been unmasked as two high-level missing-nins. That meant that nobody had any real reason to attack her. And in these times of high political stress, a village couldn't afford to take any chances with endangering an innocent girl looking for her friends.

"So what do you think of Naruto any Hinata's relationship?" Shuuzen asked her old friend. They had been friends since childhood, Shuuzen had always lived near the Rain village, and Genka was from a noble family, so she was able to come and go as she pleased, unless of course, she had a mission to complete.

Genka smiled. "They're really a cute couple. And the way Naruto treats her, it really brings me back..."

Shuuzen smiled, but her pinkish eyes showed a hint of pity or sadness. "Ireno?"

"Yeah." Genka said as she took a long sip of her sake. "Ireno. I still miss him."

"Who's Ireno?" they heard a voice. Genka turned around to see Jiraiya sitting on the barstool next to her. He had a curious look on his face, displacing his usual immature smile or pervert eyes.

Genka sighed and looked at the bar. "He was my boyfriend... a long time ago. A Jounin in my home village, one of the best."

Shuuzen spoke up when Genka slowed down. "He was really a great guy, he would come to visit me with Genka sometimes, we had so much fun. The three of us were even friends as kids, back when Genka and Ireno wouldn't have _ever_ considered a romantic relationship."

"But we did after a while." Genka picked back up. "We were sixteen or seventeen when he asked me out for our first date. But it wasn't much of a date, we were both busy Chuunins by then, and didn't have the same schedule. All we could really do was go out and find some place private for an hour or so late at night."

"It didn't take long before we were completely smitten." She said with a nostalgic smile. "He told me that he loved me just a month after that day. Eventually we worked out a schedule where we could spend more of our precious free time together, and eventually started doing all sorts of things. The kind of things you would enjoy, Jiraiya."

"What happened to him?" Jiraiya asked soberly. Well, soberly for a drunk at least. "You said you miss him."

Genka stared a bit harder at the countertop, noticing that it seemed to be made of some wood she'd never seen before. "He asked me to marry him when we were about twenty. I was so excited, I told everyone about it. My family and his were very good friends, and they were all happy for us. We sent out wedding invitations, ordered a massive cake, the works... and then..."

Genka stopped talking there, she just stared at the counter. The mysterious wood pattern was just the distraction she needed, trying to figure out what tree it might have come from.

Shuuzen sighed after a few seconds. "The week before the wedding, he was sent on a routine mission with his fresh Genin team. He was supposed to come back the day before the wedding, so he kissed Genka goodbye... and never came back."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed and dropped a little to stare at the same point on the bar that Genka was looking at. "What happened?"

"His whole team was wiped out." Genka said painfully. "Nobody ever found out how or why, they just found the remains. You couldn't even call them 'bodies', they were so mutilated. A routine escort mission, and something completely smeared them all over the ground. They confirmed their identities with their teeth and the names engraved on the back of their headbands."

Suddenly, she smiled. It was a sad, painful smile, but still a smile. "But that's in the past, I can't do anything about it. But if I can prevent it from happening again, I'll be happy. Hinata and Naruto remind me so much of my past, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let anything happen to either one of them."

"Is that why you gave up your lifestyle?" Jiraiya asked quietly, it was barely even a whisper. "For the relationship of two people who don't even have anything to do with you?"

"I guess so." She said with an ironic laugh. "People always say how it's almost impossible to change someone's heart. But look at me. I've become exactly what I was running away from for the latter part of my life. Did it really take much to change my heart?"

"Born as a ninja, die as a ninja... or something like that." Jiraiya said slowly, reciting each word as if it had some profound impact on the world.

"Yeah... something like that."

"But you know..." Jiraiya said, his voice becoming a tiny bit happier. "That boy... he has that effect on people."

"So I hear." Genka said with a small smile.

"He has the power to shape destiny, and the conviction to change a person's heart... if only he was born a day later, then maybe he would have been able to make more of a difference within the hearts of Konoha."

"Maybe he wouldn't have gotten that power to begin with." Genka pointed out. "The power to change people, that is."

"I suppose you're right." Jiraiya said with a sigh. "Have you ever asked yourself, 'why must the truly strong be the ones that suffer?'?"

"That's a stupid question." Genka replied with a disgusted laugh, as if she knew all too well the answer to that question. "It's because if the weak had to do it, everyone would kill themselves."

* * *

It was late at night, Naruto was the only one awake from the group. He had volunteered to stay up and keep watch while the others rested. The tension that hung over the group hadn't lifted that day, nobody spoke more than five words at a time after they started to pick up the pace.

Naruto didn't like it, but there wasn't really anything he could do. He didn't know what was bothering the girls, or why Ryu and Risuki weren't arguing like they usually did. Or more accurately, why Risuki wasn't being mildly abrasive toward Ryu while he ignored her. Right now, she ignored him _and_ he just ignored her.

Naruto sighed as he watched the last part of the fire die down into hot coals. The heat was still more than enough to keep him warm, he didn't need much of anything to sustain himself. Food, water, warmth, sleep, all things he could go for days without much of. But it was a double-edged sword, since the reason for his stamina was a monster locked up inside him.

He pulled his eyes from the warm cinders and looked skyward. "Even with this curse... why do I have so many friends?"

"It's because you're an understanding person." He heard a voice from back toward the girls' tent. Risuki walked toward the fire pit and sat across from the blonde.

"That's not really what I meant." Naruto said, just above a whisper. "But I guess it answered part of my question."

"Not the important part though." Risuki muttered.

Naruto sighed and closed his eyes. "Yeah, not the important part. Have you ever asked yourself that question?"

"I haven't really had many friends in my life, so I was lucky enough that I didn't _have_ to ask myself."

"Lucky and unlucky at the same time." Naruto said. "But you know what I mean though?"

"Yeah." She nodded, a tiny shaking motion. "It's not 'why do I have friends?' as much as it's 'why do I allow myself to have friends?' isn't it?"

"Something like that, yeah." Naruto whispered. "You cold?"

"A little, yeah." Risuki said as she stared at the quickly cooling coals in the fire pit.

Suddenly, the flames burst back up and brought new warmth with them. Risuki stared in surprise at the burning fire for a moment, then looked at Naruto. He was looking into the fire, a look in his eyes that betrayed some feeling of regret. Regret of what, she didn't know.

After minute or so, she caught herself staring at his face. She couldn't help but wonder what was behind the expressio, what he seemed so regretful of.

"Hey, Naruto?" She asked. "Did you do that to the fire?"

Naruto nodded and smiled. "Yeah. I didn't want you to be cold after all."

"How'd you do it?" She asked curiously. "Was it a ninja technique? I've never seen something that worked that way before."

"No, it was more like natural ability." He said with a grin. "Not mine, but still a natural ability."

Risuki understood what that meant. It meant that it was a side-effect from having the Kyuubi, so she decided not to talk about it. "Hey, Naruto. Are all the girls in Shugokage in love with you?"

"Huh?" Naruto was definitely caught off guard with that question. "W-what are you talking about?"

"Those two, Hinata and Sasame. They both worship you. If you wanted, you could have whichever one you liked." Risuki explained with a half-sadistic and half-friendly grin.

"Both of them?" Naruto stared at Risuki with wide eyes.

"What, you didn't notice?" She asked with an entertained grin that looked all too similar to Genka's

"But Sasame-chan is so young." Naruto said with his clueless face, as he held his hand at about chest level, indicating her diminutive height.

"She's only what, a year or two younger than you." The brunette said as her grin widened. "Face it, you might wind up having to choose between them."

Naruto's eyes became as small as pinpricks and his expression became clueless and spaced out as that set in, then they became as huge as his favorite ramen bowl, after he realized what it meant. "Aaah this is bad!" he mumbled as loudly as he dared.

"Why?" She asked, her smile disappearing all of a sudden, turning into a confused frown.

"Because I don't really want to hurt Sasame." He said, looking at the girls' tent. "She's kind of sensitive, I think."

Risuki laughed out loud at that. "You're so weird, Uzumaki Naruto. You don't think like most men at all."

"Eh, Risu." Naruto mumbled quietly. "You're not exactly normal yourself."

Risuki's eye twitched violently. "What did you call me?"

"Risu." Naruto said with an evil grin that slightly resembled her own.

"I don't appreciate that cute, fuzzy sounding nickname." She said as her eye continued twitching.

"Think of it as a compliment." He said as his grin widened. He even laughed when she almost blushed.

"I dare you to call me that again." She said as she threw herself back onto the ground.

"Fine, fine." He said casually. "If you make such a big deal out of it, it really takes away all the fun. But how come you're only like this at night?"

"Like what?" She asked, confused. "I don't think anything changes at night."

"Well, you're friendlier and you have a better sense of humor. And you seem to be a lot more understanding too."

Risuki smiled. "It's got nothing to do with the night. It's just because I can't act this way around Ryu or the others. When I'm alone, or even with you, I can be a little more relaxed."

"Why me?" Naruto asked. This time he was the one confused.

"Isn't it obvious?" She was a little annoyed that she had to explain it all to him. "It's because we understand each other. I know that you'll see through my personality sooner or later, because you're probably the same. You have something like that to hide yourself in too, don't you?"

"I used to." He said happily. "But I don't need it anymore."

* * *

Hyuuga Neji was having a boring day. But boring was good sometimes, if you were a ninja. It meant that no war had broken out, and that nobody had tried to assassinate you.

It was getting late, and he wanted to get home. This lack of missions was starting to take its toll on the Shinobi of Konoha village. The rough relations with other countries was bad publicity, so less people came with missions for them.

Most of the ninjas in the village were pushing for the war to get in motion faster. They all knew it was inevitable, and it was unbelievable that there hadn't been an attack during the Chuunin Exam. Konoha was officially at war with Stone, even though the violence hadn't yet begun, and there were supporters for both sides. And some other villages were beginning to have turmoil with matters completely unrelated, threatening war on each other. It looked like things were going to get messy soon.

There hadn't been a secret meeting of the four who knew that Naruto was alive. There wasn't really anything to bring up. So he was just heading home after a rather boring day of simple missions, without even leaving the village once.

But that was all about to change. His day was about to get very interesting, and he had a bad feeling as he approached the main Hyuuga mansion.

Neji carefully opened the door and peered inside, the lights were on and nobody seemed present. He walked in a little further, searching the house for anything suspicious. Nothing in this room, so he went down the hall as the feeling grew even stronger.

Around the corner, he started to hear something. Someone was crying.

"Hanabi-sama!" He recognized the voice and started running toward the sound of her crying. When he found her in the dojo, she was crying over the body of Hyuuga Hiashi.

"What the hell?" Neji managed to gasp out as he ran over to them. "What happened here?"

"I- I don't know." Hanabi answered between sobs. "I just found him here."

"Hiashi-sama!" Neji said as he got down next to the man's body. "Hiashi-sama!"

There was no answer.

Neji looked around for clues as to what had happened. There were no signs of a struggle, and no wounds on his body. But there was one thing; scribbled on the dirt floor was a name.

_Uchiha Sasuke._

* * *

-**End of Chapter Twenty Five-**

**Revised on 9/7/2011**


	26. Sacred Blood: Part 1

-**Sacred Blood-**

* * *

Neji ran as fast as he could, looking for anywhere to go. He himself didn't understand why he was being so frantic.

Hanabi followed closely behind him, wondering what exactly was going on.

"Where are you going? Is it okay to leave my father behind? Who did this?" She asked, bombarding him with questions.

"Be quiet!" He shouted over his shoulder. "Wait until we get somewhere safe."

"Where are we going?" She asked. More questions, but that was understandable. He was surprised that she was able to leave her father's body behind. But he remembered that she was a recently promoted Chuunin, this was the kind of thing she was supposed to be able to do.

Neji stopped running. He didn't know where to go. He decided to think logically about it, who could he trust with this? Not Lee, no matter how close they were, Lee was just too noisy. Not any of the Jounin, for obvious reasons. He eventually narrowed it down to three choices: Sakura, Shino and Kiba. The other three that knew that Naruto was alive.

Sakura had once had feelings for Sasuke, so he decided it best to wait until he understood the situation a bit more. He wasn't very close to Shino, and wasn't sure just how he would go about explaining it to him. So only Kiba was left.

_It's a good thing._ he thought. _Kiba and Hanabi are close, she will probably feel comfortable with him._

"We're going to find Kiba." Neji told his cousin. "He's the most trustworthy in this situation."

"O-Okay." Hanabi replied and followed her guardian.

They ran as fast as their chakra-pumped legs could take them, faster than most normal people can see, until they reached the Inuzuka household. A rather large home, but not much if you were to compare it to the Hyuuga mansion.

Neji pounded urgently on the door. "Kiba, open the damned door!"

A few moments later, a tired-looking Inuzuka Kiba opened the door. "Sheez, whadya wan?" He asked groggily. "Ish late"

Neji forced his way through the door. "Is anyone else here?"

"'Nly Kamaru" Kiba answered, still slurred from exhaustion. He had been through a long day. "Shomethin Wron?"

"My father!" Hanabi said, tears starting to pour down he cheeks. "He... He's been..."

Kiba almost immediately regained full consciousness. "What happened, Hanabi-chan?"

"Kiba-san!" She wailed and wrapped her arms around the older teen. "He's..."

"He's been murdered." Neji whispered. "I found Hanabi crying over his body in our dojo."

"W-What?" Kiba was astonished. "Someone killed Hyuuga Hiashi! That's impossible!"

"Not for a Sharingan user." Neji responded. "Hiashi-sama left something before he died – a clue. I think that it was meant for me to find."

"A Sharingan user?" Kiba gasped. "You don't mean... Kakashi-senesi?"

Neji almost collapsed from that stupid assumption. "No, you moron! He wrote a name in the dirt before he died. The name was Uchiha Sasuke."

Kiba's eyes shot wide open. If he had been tired before, you would never be able to tell. "Naruto!"

"Why do..." Hanabi sobbed. "Why does he have anything to do with this? Isn't he dead?"

Kiba looked at Neji. "What do we do?"

Neji shrugged. He was confused; his logic said to tell the authorities everything he knew, but his gut told him to do something about it himself. His gut said to find Naruto.

"There is only one person who can possibly understand Sasuke's intentions." Neji stated. "Uzumaki Naruto"

"As for Naruto... do you think..." Kiba started, a different idea coming to mind. "Gaara might know something?"

"Probably not." Neji answered. "But then, who else would know anything?"

"I might know something, actually." Kiba answered. "I saw them a long time ago, near the border of Fire and Rain."

"Saw who?" Neji almost yelped. It sounded almost too good to be true.

"Naruto and Hinata." Kiba answered. "It was about ten months after they had left. I talked to Naruto for a few seconds before he knocked me down and ran off, then I saw them both leaving the area the next day."

Neji's eyes widened as something dawned upon him. "Wind is on the other side of Rain! Gaara might know something after all!"

"But isn't he a really important person, being the Kazekage?" Kiba asked, pessimistically.

"Where else should we start?" Neji asked. "Which way did Naruto run when you saw him?"

"Into Rain..." Kiba replied. "He was with another man, the dude was huge. A good two feet taller than Naruto, at least!"

"Wouldn't that make him over seven feet tall?" Neji asked. "That's kind of unrealistic."

"It's true!" Kiba rebuked.

All this time, Hanabi had been crying into Kiba's chest. But she had finally composed herself. "We leave tomorrow." She said.

"What?" Kiba asked, what the hell could she have been talking about?

"The three of us." She replied. "We leave tomorrow."

"What are you, crazy?" Kiba asked. "Hanabi, we can't just leave!"

"Actually..." Neji said, tapping Kiba on the shoulder. "She can do whatever she wants. Politically speaking, she _is_ the most powerful person in this city."

"What are you talking about?" Kiba asked. "She's a thirteen year old girl!"

"She is the leader of the Hyuuga main family." Neji corrected. "With that kind of political muscle, even the Hokage can't do anything to stop us."

Kiba slowly realized what they meant. After it had fully sank in, he smiled. "Hanabi-chan, you're a genius!"

* * *

The next morning, most of the main Hyuuga manor had been cordoned off, yellow tape covered the doors. Only Hanabi, her escort and the ANBU detectives were allowed within the central areas.

But Hanabi and her escort – Hyuuga Neji and Inuzuka Kiba – weren't planning on spending any time in the mansion. They were getting ready to leave.

They had formally applied for permission to leave the village on official, and top-secret, Hyuuga business. Since Hanabi had inherited then title of Main branch leader, she could move around more than anyone else in the village.

Neji, however, was uneasy. If Hanabi died, that might be the end of the Hyuuga clan

"Neji, I don't know about this..." Kiba mused. "It feels weird..."

"You were gone for months last year to look for them, weren't you?" Neji countered. "This is the same thing, but for a more important reason."

"I guess you're right..." He said with a sigh. "Me an' Akamaru are ready to go."

Akamaru gave a loud woof to confirm Kiba's statement.

"Okay then." Neji said with a nod, then looked at his cousin. "Hanabi-sama, what are your orders?"

Hanabi sighed. She didn't like being treated with such respect, but she understood that it was important at least as long as they were in the village. "Let's go."

* * *

A group of five ninjas traveling together was not a strange sight to behold, under normal circumstances. But when two of them are wearing Konoha headbands, one sports a Sound banner across her forehead, one has a Mist plate tacked to the top end of his sheath and the last doesn't even have any emblem at all, heads would turn.

What could bring this odd group together? Destiny, fate, or just dumb luck? No, it was nothing like that. It worked so well one might think it was planned, but the gathering of this group was an accident years in the making. Yes, all of these lives had been touched by Naruto, directly or otherwise, years before the day they all had met.

Ryu had abandoned Mist after training with the boy for a month or two, because he felt there was much more to learn by embarking on a journey similar to Naruto's.

Because of this, he had met a cold-hearted girl of Sound Village who was charged with overseeing operations over an entire country. Because of their meeting, she became warmer, slowly, but it was still evident. And that was why those two had joined up with Naruto.

Sasame's life had been touched by the energetic blonde on several occasions, and she had grown feelings for him. Hopeless as her feelings toward him may be, she still wanted to help him, so she joined up with his team.

Hinata was more special than the others though, since she had known him practically all her life. Watching from the shadows until that day. When he had returned after more than two years, she still harbored the same emotions toward him that she had all through her childhood. If anything, they were stronger. But not even a day later, he was leaving again and she just had to say something.

So she said "I love you". And that was how this all started in the first place.

So was it fate or destiny or something like that? Or was it just coincidence that he had met Ryu, who would in turn meet another Jinchuuriki and bring her into the team? Nobody knew, but they knew that they had a long path ahead of them.

Ryu had been wondering about something for a while now. "Hey, Naruto."

"Yeah, Ryu?"

"Where exactly are we going?" He asked. "It almost looks like we're going to where Waterfall used to be."

Naruto, puzzled, turned around to look at Ryu. "How do you know the location of that village?"

"I'd heard it was buried in the mountains in this country." Ryu answered. "In a valley with a waterfall over a thousand feet high. And isn't that part of the mountain range?" He said, pointing ahead at the mountains.

Risuki looked ahead and noticed it too. "I heard something about Waterfall a long time ago, when one of their Jounin assassinated someone from Sound. We tried to find the location, but after months of investigation, we didn't even know which direction to walk in."

Ryu sighed. "I have my sources."

"Jiraiya told you, didn't he?" Naruto said with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right. But you know, you could have confirmed that suspicion of yours _later_." Ryu said, eye twitching. "Jeez, you're ruining my mystique."

"There's nothing mysterious about you." Naruto said with a wave of his hand. "Even with your amazing sword, I was able to beat you."

"What!" Risuki shouted and grabbed Naruto's coat. "You've seen it?"

"Why's it so important to you?" Ryu asked with a smirk.

"Because I like swords, damn it!" She screamed in his direction, causing him and the other girls to cower in over-exaggerated fear. Risuki turned back to Naruto. "He had to use his sword and still lost?"

"He only beat me once." Ryu said, eyebrow twitching. "And yes, I was using the sword. But that was before I..."

"Before you WHAT?" Risuki shouted again, throwing Naruto to the ground and grabbing Ryu's shirt.

"Before I left Mist." He said, pushing her away.

Naruto, Sasame and Hinata stood on the sidelines, watching in anticipation and trying to figure out who would 'win' the battle of words.

"Dammit, there's something you're not telling me!" The girl fumed. "I swear I'll see that sword some day."

"Probably." Ryu admitted. "But I'll never use it against you."

"What, you think I'm not good enough? You good-for-nothing jackass!"

"That's not what I meant." He said with a smile.

"Uhh... guys..." Naruto interrupted their argument, however amusing it was. "We're almost there, it's probably best to wait until we're like, actually in the base."

Risuki glared at Ryu, then turned and started walking in the direction they had been going before. Ryu smiled and followed, and Naruto turned to the other two girls.

"Ryu's acting normal again, I think they made up or something." He said with a shrug. "You two are still acting weird though." With that, he followed after the other two.

Hinata and Sasame looked at each other, each one with a guilty expression on her face.

While the girls were trying to think of something to say, Naruto felt something with his _other_ sense - the strange sense of presence that he had inherited from Kyuubi. He couldn't tell what this feeling was, or who was nearby. Nut he had a bad feeling.

"I'm sorry, Hinata." Sasame muttered. "I've bothered you with something you don't want to know."

"Well isn't that sweet?" Came a deep voice, soaked in sarcasm. "You guys aren't as smart as we thought, to find you in the same place we left you."

Neither Naruto or Hinata had to turn around to know who had spoken, they knew who it was. Of the others, Ryu was the first to find the source of the mysterious voice..

"U-Uchiha Itachi!"

Risuki followed his line of sight and found Itachi, sitting on a branch above and behind them with another man. The other one was had a strange appearance with his blue skin, and a humongous sword strapped over his back, not to mention something that looked like gills on the sides of his face.

She had heard of Itachi, Orochimaru had said that name once, and it was one of the extremely few times in which she could sense fear in his voice. "Uchiha... Itachi...? What does someone like him want with us?"

"I'm interested in you and Naruto-kun." Itachi said simply. "You both have something that I desire."

"And what's that?" Risuki challenged.

"He wants..." Naruto whispered. "Our powers."

"Our... powers?" Risuki repeated those words. "How does he know about me?"

"It's really quite obvious... if you have my eyes." Itachi muttered. "Your chakra is different from the others'."

"Hey, Itachi. I'm bored with talking." The blue-skinned man complained as he lifted his hand to grip the hilt of his sword. "Let's just get on with whatever you wanted to do."

* * *

Nearby, the ghost of a previous Hokage was sitting atop the summit of the Great Waterfall. There was quite a view from up there, and he had nothing better to do. Despite his mental connection with Naruto, he was barely able to sense the boy sometimes, and sometimes he couldn't feel him at all. So he didn't have a very good idea of where to look.

He had been stuck here for weeks since the boy had left to go off somewhere. He was beginning to regret not listening in on them as they planned the trip.

He sighed. _That boy is hard to keep track of. _

_He'll be fine. _Came a thought from another being. _He's got some new friends._

_Hana? _The old Hokage would have gasped if he had a body. _How did you get into this world?_

_It's a long story, and I can't do much. Not even Naruto can see me or talk to me. _She explained. _But I spoke with him in my world a few days ago. He was kind of surprised that I was normal. _She said with a mental laugh.

_Yep, that would make sense I guess._

_So, Arashi-sama. Only you can see me. _She said. _Since my existence in this world is even less tangible than yours._

_Great. How is that supposed to help? _He asked, annoyed. _If the person you're trying to help can't even see you._

_We'll blow up that bridge when we come to it. _She told him. But suddenly, an uneasy feeling washed over her. _But right now, something seems to be happening to Naruto-kun._

_You're right! _He was already running straight down the cliff face. _Let's go see what's going on!_

Hana, as the Fourth Hokage had called her, jumped down after him. _Hey, Arashi. You've been a ghost longer than me so maybe you can answer my question; If we don't have a body in this world, how come we still have to run?_

_I dunno. _He answered. _That's always confused me too. I mean, there's even a lot of walls we can't walk through. I think we've been ripped off._

They quickly reached the ground and dashed off like they hadn't been traveling downward at sixty miles an hour. _But the good thing is... _Arashi, as she had called him, said with a grin. _We don't weigh anything, so we can pull off stunts like that. Instant acceleration, no inertia and no momentum. Our bodies – or whatever you'd call it – move exactly as we want them to, even in the air, it's second only to pure flight. A ninja's dream._

They quickly found the source of their uneasy feeling. Naruto and his friends were facing off against two other people.

_That man! _Arashi said as he realized what was going on. _That's the Uchiha prodigy, Itachi!_

_Uchiha Itachi, huh? _Hana mused. _I've seen him in the twisting fates..._

_He was the heir of one of Konoha's most powerful clans. _The had-been Hokage explained. _He was only six years old when I died, but was well on the way to graduating from the Academy._

_He seems to have grown up a little. _She commented, pointing out the obvious. _And he doesn't look too friendly._

_Well no kidding! _The blonde ghost shot back. _He's with Konoha, Naruto isn't!_

_No, look at that. _She said, pointing at Itachi's forehead. _It would seem that he's also a runaway._

_What? _Arashi mentally shuddered as he thought of that idea. _Uchiha Itachi... the strongest member of the strongest clan... that could be bad. At least Naruto can take the Kyuubi's power._

_Not anymore. The Kyuubi has found a way to separate itself from him and Naruto can't take the power without paying a price._

_Well that sucks._

"Ryu, let's go!" Naruto called. "Hinata, take care of the others."

"Okay." Hinata confirmed, glad that he was entrusting her with some responsibility. "Be careful."

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!" Risuki shouted at the blonde. "Let me help!"

"Sorry, but our special powers aren't very useful." Naruto explained. "That guy's sword eats chakra."

Risuki growled in Naruto's general direction before sitting back with Hinata and Sasame. They all knew that Sasame wouldn't stand a chance in a fight of this caliber, so it was best to leave her with some more capable protection.

Kisame grinned. "I get the sword brat."

"Sure." Itachi said, unconcerned. "It doesn't matter how we go about this, the outcome will be the same no matter what."

"Looks like I have to draw my sword a little earlier than expected." Ryu said with an unconcerned sigh. "Oh well, a fly like this guy won't take long."

"A fly?" Kisame gasped. "I'll make sure you pay for that!"

Kisame gripped the hilt of his sword and darted at Ryu and brought the massive hulk straight downward on top of the boy. "Take this!"

Ryu didn't move at all, not until the very last millisecond. Within the blink of an eye, he sidestepped and crouched to the ground. Looking up at his opponent, he smirked. "Just to warn you; I've already found your weakness."

The blue-skinned man quickly picked up his sword, turned it sideways and slashed horizontally at Ryu. His swing ended with the sword held behind his back, and Ryu was nowhere to be seen.

"Looking for me?" He heard Ryu's voice from behind him. He turned his head around to see the boy standing on his sword.

"Brat!" He shouted. "My Samehade won't be beaten by a kid like you."

"Come on, that's really a joke." Ryu said with a sigh. "Just use its full power and we'll just see. I haven't even drawn my blade."

Itachi didn't attack Naruto, he just watched Kisame's fight.

"Hey, I'm over here." Naruto grumbled.

"I'll get to you in a minute. Your friend is interesting." Itachi explained.

Kisame sighed. "I'll take this brat down. It'll be a cinch if he is really able to make me unleash Samehade."

"I'm bored. Let's just get on with this." Ryu said with an exaggerated yawn.

"I'll show you!" Kisame yelled and thrust Ryu off of the sword. "Samehade! Let's shred this kid to pieces!"

The white ribbon wrapped around the sword slowly loosened and fell to the ground. The revealed sword more resembled a bunch of short blades messily arranged and clumped together. But there was one strange thing: The blades were moving.

"That sword..." Ryu gasped. "It's _alive_."

"Now we'll show you what it means to take on Hoshigaki Kisame!" He said and lunged forward., only to be dodged again.

"You'll need more than that."

Ryu slowly and dramatically removed the sword from his sheath. Kisame gasped when his next attack was blocked by very large blade.

"What the?" He was stunned. "Your sheath is slender, and yet your sword is as big as my Samehade!"

Ryu's shiny silver sword gleamed in the late afternoon sunlight. The sword was easily five feet long, and about ten inches from the razor-sharp cutting edge to the back of the blade. There was a graceful forward curve from where the sword met the hilt guard all the way down to its tip, and the hilt itself was at least a foot long.

"Looks like this won't take too long." Ryu said with a grin. "Let's see if the legendary Hoshigaki Kisame is really as great as they say he is. I know most of your moves, since we're from the same village."

"And that means I know most of yours." Kisame grunted.

Itachi seemed to lose interest at that point. "Okay, it seems Kisame has his hands full. I'll take you on Naruto-kun."

Naruto didn't waste any time. He quickly charged up a swirling mass of air and chakra in his right hand.

The Fourth watched from afar, dazzled by the boy. _He's mastered it. A seventeen year old boy mastered the Rasengan!_

_I think he learned the basics of it when he was thirteen. _Hana explained _I was a little more in touch with this world back then._

_Th-Thirteen! _Yondaime mentally gasped. _That's insane! How smart is this kid?_

_He's only average. _Hana said with a laugh. _But he's a hard worker. I never did find out what pushed him so hard to learn it though._

Yondaime nodded unconsciously as he watched Naruto dash toward Itachi. The Uchiha's eyes quickly went red and he dashed forward, directly at Naruto.

"_Rasengan!_" came the familiar battle cry.

But when he thrust his palm forward, it was stopped before hitting its mark.

"What the hell!" Naruto screamed. "You- You _caught_ the Rasengan?"

Sure enough, the swirling blue ball was held between Itachi's and Naruto's right hands. They were frozen in a stance, leaning into each other. Trying to win with sheer might, or to see who could maintain control the longest.

"My eyes," Itachi began his explanation. "can see they way you control the rotation of the Rasengan. It's easy for me to catch and control it myself by rotating my own chakra the in the same direction. Unfortunately, this technique isn't something that Sharingan can copy, since it's something that takes practice and patience to master. And only one Sharingan has the perfect copying ability."

"Kakashi." Naruto said. "The Copy Ninja, who copied over a thousand Ninjutsu."

"Yes, but I won't need that power to beat you." Itachi warned. "Let's see just how good your Taijutsu is when you can't pull away from me."

Naruto gasped. Itachi was right, they were both controlling the Rasengan, neither of them could pull away without it exploding. And whoever did back out would probably get the worst of it.

Itachi flipped sideways until he was parallel with the ground, then send his left foot toward Naruto. The blonde boy jumped over the kick and landed on the other side of Itachi, tried to push him aside but was evaded just the same.

The observers watched with fascination as Naruto and Itachi tumbled over each other, both of them trying to maintain a hold on the Rasengan, and both trying to land a hit. But no matter how long they went at it, neither of them was able to touch the other. It looked like a battle of stamina, and it was obvious Naruto would win that battle unless Itachi had a plan.

Back with the swordfight, Ryu was nimbly dodging Kisame's wide swings and jabs. A grin on his face the whole time. "You're slowing down, Kisame-_sama._"

"Damn you!" Kisame shouted. "You don't move like a normal Mist-nin!"

"Who said I was supposed to move like a Mist swordsman?" Ryu said with a confused expression on his face. "Oh well, I guess I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm using a unique style."

"Even with that huge sword, you're mainly evading my attacks." Kisame growled as he tried to think of a way to get this kid. "You trying to wear me down?"

"Well, I did say this was a unique style." Ryu sighed like he was talking to a three year old. "Besides, if I went all-out on you, it would be boring."

"Well screw you, you little brat!" Kisame screamed. "Samehade! Shred my opponent like cheese! We need to go all-out too!"

With a massive thrust, his sword flew at terrifying speed toward the baffled teen.

Ryu was barely able to think fast enough to block, but even that didn't help much. The shark-like man's sword crashed into his own with unbelievable force. He was thrown back from the blow and crashed into the ground with a thud. His sword stuck into the ground a few feet away.

"Maybe now you know why they call me Legendary." Kisame boasted. "That was only a portion of my power. And on top of that, you haven't even tasted my skill."

Ryu stood up. The attack had been mostly absorbed by his defense, but it was still a huge blow. "You're a lot stronger than I am. But strength isn't everything, as they say. Maybe I should show you _my_ skills."

He reached toward his sword's hilt and grasped it. "Watch closely."

Kisame was astonished to see that the sword had started glowing. It changed its size and shape. The large blade altered from its current shape to a more slender, deadly-looking cutting edge. The shape had completely changed in the blink of an eye, once again. Ryu pulled it out of the ground and grinned. "The advantage of a transforming sword is being able to have the right kind for any situation. I had first assumed that I should match size and power against you, but I guess not."

"So that's your power." Kisame said with a wide grin. "Let's just see how good you are. I can match speed with the best of them."

"You flatter me." Ryu said with a matching grin. "I'm really not very fast, compared to my master. It's all about skill with me. Let's see just how well you can judge which direction I'm coming from."

Finished talking, Ryu flickered out of his position. Kisame caught blurred images of the boy – moving in three directions. _He's going up, left and right? Is this an illusion? It looks like I can't trust my eyes in this situation, and I should play it defensively until I know just what he's trying to do._

Out of nowhere, three Ryu's flickered back to Kisame – all of them moving in for the attack. "So let's see," They all called in unison. "How well you judge which way I'm coming from!"

Kisame didn't have time to think, so he just tried to block the one on the right. And his sword met with Ryu's in a successful block. "Ha, eat that bra - Gwaah!" He choked. _What? I feel another sword slicing me instead – no wait, two swords!_

Blood flew across Kisame's filed of vision. His chest had been sliced diagonally, and the left side of his torso had been gouged open completely.

He crumpled under the pain. "What... What did you do? To do that much to _me_ so quickly?"

"My sword's hilt is designed with chakra circuits to mold chakra without hand seals. Of course, it can only be used for one technique and nothing else, and that technique has to be fairly basic. It just so happens that the technique my master decided was best for me was the basic Bunshin no Jutsu."

"What about the attacks, they came from three directions!"

"Oh, that? Well, remember when I said I wasn't very fast?" Ryu smiled even wider. "I lied. What I used no you there was all speed. I hit your sword, use it for leverage and get more speed out of your block. With that speed, I can swing two more times, it's almost like I actually have three swords.."

"I picked... the wrong opponent." Kisame said with a choked laugh. "But this won't kill me."

"Yeah, the fact that you're talking proves that." Ryu said, looking at Kisame's torso wound. "Most people would be knocked out instantly if they were wounded there, just from the pain, and many would even die."

"Yeah, I gave a kidney a long time ago, when I was a good guy." Kisame boasted. "I never thought it would do me any good though. I guess my good karma from back then actually lasted this long. So are you gonna finish me?"

"That would be a waste of your good karma." Ryu said, sheathing his sword, then his expression became serious. "And one way or another... You were only testing me in the end.."

"You figured that out, eh?" Kisame growled. "But I'll get you next time. And remember, I'm the bad guy. I don't want any mercy, even if you _are_ able to ever beat me again."

"I look forward to it!" The brown-haired, brown-eyed teen said and flashed a smile. "Looks like things are gonna get interesting in the other fight though. It's a lot more even than ours was."

Across the hills, Naruto and Itachi flipped and turned around, throwing any kind of attack they could pull, and dodging the other's attacks while desperately holding on to the explosive ball of energy in their hands.

A battle of stamina, that's what it was turning into. And Itachi knew that Naruto would win at this rate. He had to pull off something, and fast.

_Looks like I'll have to be a bit unfair. _He thought to himself. _It doesn't matter, it would wind up this way in the end. It only would've taken longer._

At his next chance, he locked eyes with Naruto, pulling his unsuspecting opponent into a Sharingan-imposed illusion. It would only last a second or so, but a second was all he would need. The boy fell backward onto the ground, but he somehow retained control over the Rasengan. Itachi didn't want to waste another second, so he planted his foot on Naruto's chest and launched himself upward.

The Rasengan exploded.

Itachi was launched on a spiraling path upward, but was relatively unharmed, when compared to Naruto.

The younger ninja didn't have any time to react. To make things worse, he was forced down against the ground, and couldn't let anything absorb the blast. He took the full extent of the deadly technique. The tornado that ensued shredded his dark robes and sliced at his skin. When the violent tempest was gone and the dust had settled, Naruto lay unconscious on the ground, blood-soaked and covered in dirt.

"Anyone else would have died after a backfire like that." Ryu said, staring at Naruto.

"Well that was anticlimactic." Kisame said toward Ryu. "Looks like you guys lose. There's nothing else you can do, like you said yourself."

The younger swordsman instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword. _Damn! What are we supposed to do now? Just let them take Naruto? That's really our only choice right now..._

"Naruto!" Hinata and Sasame screamed at the top of their lungs and ran toward his motionless form.

"I'm coming too!" Risuki yelled, mostly so she wouldn't feel useless. "I've got to teach Itachi a lesson for that!"

Itachi finally landed on the ground, his knees didn't even buckle under his weight after falling such a massive distance. He turned to look at the three girls rushing to Naruto's aid.

"Stop!" Ryu called. "There's nothing we can do for him, you'll all die!"

Itachi walked leisurely up and hoisted Naruto onto his shoulder. "I can sense that the seal is weakening. It might be worth taking him back with me now, I'm afraid none of you will ever see him again."

_This is bad! _Yondaime shouted through his thoughts. _Hana, we have to do something!_

_What are we supposed to do? We don't have bodies! _She yelled back.

_Anything!_

The ragtag group of four watched as Itachi carried Naruto over to Kisame. "Are you able to stand?"

"Yeah, I can walk." He stated, stood up and latched the Samehade to his back. "Let's go."

"Don't you want me, too!" Risuki shouted at Itachi's back. "I'm like him, you want my power don't you?"

"I'm not interested in you." Itachi said without even turning around. "All we want is Kyuubi. You and your little two-tailed cat can go play with some string."

Hinata was in tears by now. Risuki was ready to tear someone's lungs out, Sasame was in shock and Ryu was staring at the ground. There wasn't anything they could do in their state.

"I'll tear you apart!" Risuki screamed suddenly. "Just wait, I'll shred you to pieces!"

She started a mad dash into certain death, she knew she would probably die. But she couldn't sit and do nothing. Naruto had done so much for her in a matter of only a few days.

Before she had made three steps, Ryu was in front of her. "Stop! You can't, nobody can! Uchiha Itachi is untouchable!"

"Well what else can I do?" She screamed back. "You're such a jackass! I don't even know what I liked about you!"

"Please stop." This time, he didn't yell. And he wasn't looking at her eyes, but at his own feet. "I don't want you to die."

Over a nearby hill, Arashi and Hana were still going crazy, trying to think of something they could do.

_Is there anything special about the guys in his group? _Hana asked the Yondaime as much as she asked herself.

_Hinata is a Hyuuga, Risuki is a Jinchuuriki. And even with all that, they can't pull anything off._

_Hyuuga... wait! _Hana mentally gasped. _Her father, is it Hyuuga Hiashi?_

_Yes... what are you getting at?_

_Hyuuga Hiashi's first wife! _Hana screamed in Arashi's head.

_Huh?_ He wondered. _What about her? She was just a normal person, Hinata is only half-Hyuuga._

_Exactly!_

* * *

**_-_End of Chapter Twenty Six-**

**Revised on 9/9/2011**


	27. Sacred Blood: Part 2

**-Sacred Blood: Part 2-**

* * *

Itachi was carrying an unconscious Naruto to some unknown hideout in the middle of nowhere, Kisame was limping next to his partner, content that nobody here could dream about laying a finger on Itachi they way they were now. And he was right.

But nobody could even remotely sense the presence fast approaching. The ghost that not even Naruto could see, Hana of the other world. The one who seemed to know everything that everybody didn't know.

How she had obtained this knowledge, even the Yondaime didn't know. But he wasn't about to ask any questions in this situation.

He only followed right in her footsteps as she headed straight for Hinata.

But as she approached the girl, she didn't even slow down. In fact, if anything she might have actually started going faster, until she disappeared in the teenage girl's body.

Hinata collapsed to the ground and everyone who had been watching Naruto looked at her. They thought that she might just be collapsing from the impact of the events, or that she just lost the will to do anything.

"Hinata?" Sasame tried to get a response. "Are you okay?"

_Hey, Hyuuga Hinata is it? _Hinata could have sworn she heard a voice in her head.

_Y-yes... _She responded, feeling ridiculous for even considering that there might actually be a person talking to her in her mind.

_I'm Hana. Just Hana, but I'm a friend of Naruto's. _The voice told her. _There's not much time, I would love to explain it more if I had time – just to enjoy confusing you more, that is – but this situation is a little pressing._

_What... umm... Are you going to help us?_

_Yep. _The voice replied. _I'm going to unlock a secret ability that you've had all your life. It's really a shame that it went untapped all these years, but I can't blame you. The other person that has it these days hasn't tried either._

_What is this power? _Hinata asked. _Why do I have it?_

_It's your bloodline ability. _The voice said with an imaginary smile. _Your true bloodline ability. You can't even compare it with Byakugan._

All Hinata could do with this information was stare at the ground, her mouth gaped open in astonishment. _I... Do I have more power than Naruto?_

_You could say that. _The voice uttered. _But you only have one chance to beat Itachi! He's way too strong for anyone to fight, and if he realizes that you're a threat, then you're finished!_

"Hinata?" Ryu and Risuki were hovering over her now. "Are you okay?"

Hinata, still kneeling on the ground, stood up slowly, with what could only be described as a sinister grin on her face. "I'll make him pay for trying to take Naruto."

_Attagirl! _The voice cheered. _Let's go! We'll save the power and keep it hidden until the last possible second._

Everyone backed away, almost fearful of Hinata's wrath if they tried to stop her. There was something different about her. The teenage girl rushed at Itachi, moving faster than she ever had before, merely out of necessity. She was far away, but the distance was closing quickly.

"She's gone nuts!" Risuki shouted. "We have to stop her!"

"No." Ryu said quietly. "There's something different about her, different than she was only a minute ago. There was something in her eyes... a fighting spirit of the likes that I've never seen in my entire life."

All they could do was watch as Hinata rushed to certain death. But Ryu kept insisting that they leave her alone.

"Uchiha Itachi!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. "If you don't leave him on the ground, I'll make you regret ever touching him!"

The others gaped in awe of the shy girl's words. They all thought the same thing: _trying to do anything to Naruto is not a smart thing to do, while Hinata's around._

Unlike he had with Risuki, Itachi actually acknowledged Hinata's presence. In fact, he actually looked surprised.

_Hinata, one last thing I have to tell you! _The voice cried, as if she had forgotten something very important. _When we do this, there's a chance you'll lose your Byakugan._

_I don't give a care! I left Konoha ready to sacrifice my life! If my Byakugan is the price to pay to save Naruto, I'll pay it.! _Hinata shouted back at the voice.

_All right. On your signal then, Hinata-sama._ The voice said, content to leave everything else to the girl.

The distance separating Hinata and Itachi grew smaller and smaller with each passing millisecond. Something inside Itachi was telling him to go all-out and squash this girl like the bug she was. But his pride wouldn't let him, and he just waited for the right moment to counterattack

Finally, the distance between them reached only a few feet. Itachi's Sharingan was able to keep track of her every move, he relaxed knowing that there was no chance of a surprise move.

Out of the corner of his eye, though, he saw another approaching figure. The young swordsman that had mercilessly beaten down Kisame was moving with that same incredible speed from before. Itachi turned to throw the teenage boy down so he could focus on the real threat. But all Ryu did was jump into the air and grab Naruto while Itachi's attention was divided.

_The rest is yours, Hinata. _He thought as he soared higher into the air, then finally landed near the other two girls.

Hinata knew the time was right. She couldn't afford to lose the advantage of making the first strike. "Now!" she screamed.

In a flash of blinding silver energy that _everyone_ could see. Hinata underwent an instant transformation.

Ryu stared in total disbelief. "Impossible..." He gasped, "I can see it... I can _see_ her chakra!"

Before everyone's eyes was something even more unbelievable. Hinata's appearance had completely changed. From the length of her hair, to her clothes.

Her hair had grown ten inches, and her ponytail now hung to the small of her back. There was a new weapon in a holster over her back; a sleek-looking silver longbow. Her black Shugokage robe was replaced with a short white dress that showed her long, slender legs.

But the most astonishing change was in her eyes. Not only was there an impossible determination that could only be matched by Naruto himself, but even the color had changed. Suddenly, they were as blue as the sky on a cloudless day. One thing that confused Itachi, since he was the only one close enough to her to see, was her new black pupils.

Hinata, however, didn't have a moment to notice the changes. She tried a Byakugan-only move while Hana, the voice inside her head, silently prayed that she had at least retained her normal Byakugan abilities.

She came to an impossibly quick stop two feet in front of Itachi. "Jyuuken!" She shouted, wondering just how much power she could channel into her Hyuuga abilities from this mysterious other bloodline. "Hakke!"

"She's going to use one of Hyuuga's most powerful attacks!" Ryu shouted. "But how the hell did she get this close?"

Hinata decided on a number and stuck with it. She would have to be able to pull off that many strikes or she would lose this fight. "Niihyakugojuurokushou!"

**(A/N: See translations at the end)**

Everyone present watched in utter amazement as she laid into Itachi with one hit after another. She had to have hit every one of the 64 main Tenketsu points before half a second had passed, but kept going. She moved so fast that nobody could dream of keeping count.

After two seconds, Itachi fell backward. Completely unable to move.

Ryu's eyes were as wide as a full moon. "She hit over two-thirds of every chakra hole in his body. Depending on where she hit, he might be permanently blind, or he could have lost all use of his lungs. He might never even stand again, or of course, he could be dead.."

Itachi lay in the grass, staring up at the sky. "You didn't kill me..."

"If you ever try that again, I _will _kill you." She threatened.

"Naïve mercy." Itachi moaned. "You'll regret leaving us alive. The next time we meet, you'll feel the full extent of my abilities. I won't make the mistake of underestimating you again."

Hinata ignored him, turned toward her friends and began walking to them. By the time she reached them, her she was almost running. It was now that everyone could see the full extent of her change.

Ryu was shocked. He knew that by joining Naruto, he would see amazing things, but his mouth dropped upon seeing her eyes. No longer the blank white, they slightly resembled Naruto's.

That same expression was on the faces of everyone conscious as she knelt over Naruto's beaten and bloodied form. After whispering a few words that nobody could hear, she laid her hands on his chest and closed her eyes. The next thing they knew, there was another explosion of silver-white chakra, something that once again astounded them.

They all knew that the only time a normal person could _see_ chakra was when it was highly focused, like during most of the Hyuuga clan's Hakke techniques, and other extremely powerful attacks such as Chidori and Rasengan, or some medical techniques that required a massive amount of concentration.

The only other time they had seen chakra like that was when Naruto had unleashed immense amounts of Kyuubi's power. None of them understood it.

When the silver explosion had faded away, Hinata was dressed as normal again in her black robes. Her hair was still longer than it had been that morning. They couldn't see her eyes, she was asleep on Naruto's chest.

Naruto was completely unscathed. The only evidence of the fight was the dirt and dried blood on his face and hands. But everything was healed.

The other three from the group hovered above them. They looked eerily peaceful, asleep on the grass.

"I guess it's a really good thing Sasame came after all." Ryu said. "With these two asleep, we wouldn't have any other way to find the base. But I guess we have to carry them back."

Sasame volunteered to carry Hinata. Risuki surprised everyone by volunteering to carry Naruto. Of course, Ryu and Sasame questioned her motives, but were quickly silenced by a full-force death glare.

Sasame led the way, carrying Hinata on her back. She was grateful for the Hyuuga's small frame, she was very light.

She was the first to ask what everyone wanted to. "What was that back there?"

"I have no idea." Ryu admitted. "It was amazing though. To think that someone who seems meek and quiet like Hinata could have such intense strength."

"I think." Risuki pondered. "That part of it may have been fueled by her feelings for the guy. It's obvious that they're a couple, even though they seem to be hiding it."

"And that's really saying something." Ryu said. What Risuki said makes a lot of sense, but that's probably only a piece of the puzzle. Her chakra was obviously not normal."

"I think," He continued. "that her feelings may have only helped to unleash something that had been hidden."

They had been walking a short while before Naruto started to stir. When he opened his eyes, he was a little surprised by what he saw.

"Risu?" He asked groggily. He was being given a ride on her back.

Ryu's eyes grew to the size of a tennis ball as he stared at Naruto's half-sleeping face.

"OH MY GOD I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!" She screamed.

Ryu's eyebrow twitched. _He's lucky that's all he got. _He thought to himself.

"Uhhh..." He looked around, still more than half-asleep. "Where's Itachi? Wasn't he gonna like, take me to his hideout or sumthin?"

Risuki smiled, apparently having forgiven him. "Your girlfriend thrashed him."

Almost a minute later, the words clicked together in his brain. "H-H-Hinata?"

"Yep." Ryu chimed in. "She charged him, threatened to make him sorry, then blasted him a couple hundred times with the Jyuuken attack. He and Kisame are probably still lying on the ground back there, until one of them is able to move."

Naruto couldn't even respond to that. All he could do was stare at Hinata, unconscious on Sasame's back. _How did she do that? _He asked nobody.

_I think I can answer that. _Came another thought from another being. _It's been a few weeks, kid. You had me worried._

"The Fourth?" Naruto whispered. Risuki was the only one that was able to hear him.

"The... Fourth?" Risuki asked, wondering what he was talking about.

The others heard by now, but none of them were originally from Konoha, so the title didn't really mean anything to them, since he could be talking about the Fourth of anything. They didn't make the connection.

Naruto quickly realized that he had spoken aloud. "Ehh, I mean..."

_It's all right. _The dead man thought toward him. _Explain it all to them when we get to Waterfall._

Hinata was still unconscious when they had reached the Shugokage building buried within the Village Hidden behind a Waterfall.

Naruto had regained some of his strength and tucked her into their bed. He found the Fourth waiting for him in the bedroom. But he also found someone else waiting with him.

"Ero-sennin?"

The Fourth Hokage smiled from ear to ear. "Ero-sennin? That's a nice nickname."

"Uwahh! You talked!" Naruto gasped.

Jiraiya cleared his throat. "I drew up a special seal that bound him to our world. Of course, it's impossible to give him a true body, but I was able to give him the ability to speak. That's about it though."

"That's good enough for me. It was lonely." The Yondaime said with a grin. "And I think I'll be calling you 'Ero-sennin' from now on. Oh, and Naruto-kun. My name is Arashi."

**Note:** Yeah, we found out by now that his name is "Minato". But I wrote this a LONG time before that happened.

"Arashi..." Naruto tested the feel of it on his tongue. "Weird name."

"This is coming from a guy named 'Naruto'. Well now that I can talk, it might make introductions a little easier." He said. "Any idea when she'll be waking up?"

"Not really." Naruto answered. "She must be pretty wiped. I guess we'll just have to make you explain it without her."

They headed back downstairs, to where Naruto had promised to explain how Hinata had defeated Itachi. They were all waiting patiently in the main living area, the new recruits were introducing themselves to everyone else.

Naruto, Jiraiya and the ghost of Arashi, the Fourth Hokage walked into the room. Of course, all eyes were fixed on the ghost.

He smiled nervously. "Um... I always hated introductions. I'm Arashi"

The first to respond was Risuki. But she didn't respond with words, instead, she rushed to the front of the room with a childlike and curious expression on her face. She poked her right arm through Arashi's chest and her expression changed to a childlike, amused one as she repeated pushing her arm in and out of his chest, face, arm, shoulder, stomach, etc, until Naruto cleared his throat.

Ryu looked like he had just swallowed a land mine. Just what the hell was Risuki doing, being normal? Well, weird, not normal. She had been a cold, angsty, foul-mouthed sound-nin only a few weeks ago. (Well, she was still foul-mouthed.) He guessed this was the famous "Naruto-effect" at work.

"Naruto..." Genka gasped, staring just like everyone else. "Is that really... The ghost we saw before... the Fourth Hokage... it was real?"

Nobody else in the room had originally come from Konoha, so it didn't quite have the same effect on them as it would on Hinata later on.

"I'm real, all right!" He said with a grin. "Well... as real as a ghost gets at least."

Naruto continued. "Arashi is going to explain to us how Hinata was able to beat Itachi."

"First, explain to us how he's like... alive." Genka requested. "or... well... a ghost."

"Uhh..." Arashi pondered for a moment. "I dunno."

Everyone responded with a different expression of disappointment.\.

Arashi decided to get right on with the explanation. "How many of you know who Hinata's mother was?" he asked as a more serious expression washed over his face.

Of course, nobody knew. Arashi turned to Jiraiya to explain this part.

"Hinata's mother wasn't a Hyuuga, and as such, Hinata is only half-Hyuuga. Her mother died in childbirth and her name was... I don't remember"

Arash sighed, but then realized that he didn't know either. "Well I guess that's not important! The point is, she wasn't a Hyuuga. She had a secret bloodline ability called _Tenshi no Moui, _which nobody in the village knew about, not even the village elders. But she couldn't use it, because it only surfaces only once every seven generations. Hinata is the seventh generation since it was last activated."\

"Also," Arashi continued. "I've come to understand that there's someone else who also has this family line. And also has the ability to activate it. Apparently, they share a common ancestor thirty generations ago. Unfortunately, we don't know who it is."

_Well, I know who it is. _Hana teased. Of course, only Arashi could see or hear her, and she would keep it a secret for a while, just for kicks.

"So... a _second_ bloodline ability?" Shuuzen ventured. "Is that possible?"

"Apparently so." Jiraiya answered. "But we don't know what effects it may have on the Byakugan, or what effects Byakugan will have on it."

"Well" Ryu said, folding his arms thoughtfully. "Her Byakugan seems to _work_ fine. But when we last saw her awake, she had blue eyes. There was no visible trace of any previous bloodline."

Everyone who hadn't been present to see it themselves was startled by that revelation. Naruto quickly imagined Hinata with blue eyes. He just as quickly decided that blue eyes were just as cute, although it may take some getting used to. He definitely wouldn't love her any less.

He mentally kicked himself for thinking like that, being so superficial. But still, he liked the idea.

It was about then that he sensed her presence upstairs. That meant she was beginning to stir.

He decided he didn't really need to do much more down here, so he would just finish it up really fast. "Okay, so I guess our newest member is a ghost. All in favor say 'aye'. Hip, hip, hooray. Congratulations, you're our new member."

Naruto made a beeline for the stairs, while making a pitiful attempt to look inconspicuous.

Arashi's imaginary eyebrow twitched. "Well I feel welcome..."

"Shuuzen," Osanai called to the albino doctor, to get her attention. "I think the sarcasm around here is beginning to seriously outweigh the sanity."

"Yeah... any ideas?"

"No." He admitted with a sigh.

"Don't worry." Ryu said and sat with them, making a circle of sane people. "I'm pretty normal."

The rest of the people in the room, however, were totally insane. Sasame and Risuki were both poking Arashi, who was spouting 'Ero-sennin' jokes at Jiraiya, who was trying to think of excuses to go "information gathering", while Genka was beating down every idea he could come up with.

Ryu sighed, watching the crazy ones. "I still have to apologize."

"You screw something up?" Shuuzen asked the teenage swordsman.

"I guess so." He admitted. "It's a long story, and really confusing. I don't think she'd want me telling anyone about it anyway, it involves her past a little."

"You just admitted it was that girl." Shuuzen said with an understanding smile. "The longer you keep a woman waiting, the worse her retribution will be."

"Yeah..." He sighed. "I just don't know what to say to her."

"You don't have to plan ahead for everything." This time, it was Osanai. "As the leader of this village, I can honestly say that some of the best things that have happened to us were decisions made on a whim. Just say what comes to your mind."

"I guess so." Ryu said, then sighed as he stood up. He had to do something or she might just be mad at him forever. That was the last thing he wanted.

He nonchalantly walked by the girls, who were ruthlessly assaulting the ghost with their hands and a few inanimate objects, to see if everything_ really _went through him.

_Really, Risuki is acting so much happier than she ever had before. _Ryu smiled, without realizing it. _Naruto sure does have an effect on people, I'm kind of jealous. Wait, I'm jealous? Why would I care? _He wondered. But somewhere inside, he really knew, he wanted to be the one who made Risuki happy.

As he passed, he tapped Risuki on the shoulder with the tip of his sheath. And just because he was also slightly interested too, he did this through Arashi's chest. He couldn't help but snicker when it went right through the ghost's form.

Naruto crept into the bedroom he secretly shared with Hinata. Unfortunately, the people who knew they slept together far outnumbered those that didn't. It was probably futile to hide it much longer, but that wasn't important right now.

Hinata was sitting on the foot of the bed. "How do you keep coming in here right as I'm waking up?"

"I hide in ambush right outside the door for hours, because I have nothing better to do, and have no appetite, and I don't need to introduce the new guys."

Hinata laughed at his attempt at sarcasm. Sometimes even he could flop on a joke. She looked up again and Naruto was smiling at her. He hadn't smiled that way in too long.

"Ryu was right." He whispered, untying his headband.

He held it in front of Hinata's face. It took her a moment to know what he intended, and she gasped when she saw her reflection. "B-blue..."

"They're not as blue as mine." Naruto boasted jokingly, although it was true. Hinata's eyes were a lighter shade. "But you make them look good."

Hinata jumped off the bed and ran into the attached half-bath, Naruto quickly followed.

"You look really good." He said with his usual smile.

Hinata was staring at herself in the mirror, blinking every few seconds to see if the light shade of blue was still present when her eyes opened again. Deep inside her, it felt as if there had been a chain she never noticed before, and that chain had connected her to Konoha and the Hyuuga clan. But suddenly, it was like that chain, which she had never noticed, was cut - and she had a strange sensation of freedom.

After a minute of gawking at her reflection, she smiled and turned to Naruto. "I _do _look good!"

Naruto had to laugh at that, the grabbed her hand and led her back into the other room. "We didn't get to finish something the other day."

"But I need a shower!" Hinata complained. "I can't do that while I'm all sweaty."

Naruto sighed, he didn't care. They would probably be sweaty later anyway. But then, he was pretty dirty from being blasted into the dirt. "Fine, you win. I'll use the shower in the hall, you can use ours."

As he walked to the shower at the end of the hall, he wondered just what he could get away with. That is, just how fast he could get out of the shower, thus giving Hinata less time to dress, thus a more satisfying snuggling experience.

Once again, he mentally kicked himself for thinking such perverted thoughts.

Little did he know, but Hinata was thinking along the same lines. She was trying to decide just what to wear, a very grueling decision. It had been much easier with the whole spur-of-the-moment idea, since she didn't have to decide on this kind of thing.

She looked at the clock, it was almost ten at night. _How long have I been out? _She decided to make this a quick decision, and take a quick shower. She soon decided on a loose nightgown that she was _certain _she hadn't ever bought on her own, judging by its length. Genka had probably "conveniently" placed it in her wardrobe while she had been away.

Then she made the extremely daring decision not to wear a bra. But once again, that was mostly thanks to Genka, who had laundry-duty that week and had "conveniently" forgotten to wash any of Hinata's undergarments. The girl thanked the heavens that she had spared a pair of panties.

"I'll kill her." Hinata muttered under her breath as she stepped into the shower. She was pretty sure Naruto wouldn't mind, but that didn't mean that Genka could do this kind of thing to them without retribution.

Naruto got out of the shower and hurried down the hall, the door to their room was locked. He had on a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, just the same as he always wore for bed.

He knocked on the door. "It's me."

He heard the lock click.

"Wait just a few seconds." Hinata told him through the door. "Okay, now you can come in."

Hinata was waiting on the bed, of course with a mild blush, as was normal with her. She was wearing a nightie that Naruto had never seen, and was pretty sure she would never admit to ever having worn, and would never be caught dead in. He now understood why the door was locked.

He _very quickly _locked the door behind him, then turned back to Hinata for a better look. One of the first things he noticed was that the gown was quite short, it didn't go much further than just below her thigh. In the position she was in, she was giving him a clear view of her white panties. He also noticed the fact that she didn't have a bra on. "You know..." He said drowsily, wiping the drool from his lips. "We're supposed to _not _get you pregnant."

"Don't ruin the moment." Hinata scolded.

The imaginary brick smacked into Naruto's forehead, dead-center. "Sorry."

He crawled into the bed and under the blanket, Hinata quickly followed. Soon, Hinata's back against Naruto's broad chest, she snuggled as deep in his arms as she could.

"Hinata?" Naruto asked.

"Hmm?"

"You almost seem happy to have normal eyes." He said. "Why's that?"

"I guess I am happy." She said slowly, as if she was trying to decide for herself. After a moment she seemed sure. "Yeah. I am happy. Ever since we left, I didn't want anything to attach me to Hyuuga. I don't even want the name."

"Really?" Naruto asked, a little surprised. "What name do you want?"

"I'm not sure." She said, hiding a meek smile. "Maybe... yours."

"Mine, huh?" Naruto smiled. "So when do you want to do that?"

"Hmm?" Hinata faked ignorance. "What do you mean?"

Naruto laughed aloud. "Fine, you win."

Hinata turned around to face Naruto, but made sure not to move away even an inch. "Are you saying..."

"Hinata." He refrained from using her family name, which she wanted so much to break free from. "It hasn't been very long but... someday, do you think we'll get married?"

Hinata smiled and closed her eyes. She knew he was just playing along. No matter how much she knew he loved her, this was too good to be true. "I love you, Naruto."

"I love you, too." He replied gently. "But... do you think it could happen?"

"Y-you..." Hinata's eyes shot open and she looked up at him, staring. "You're... serious?"

The emotions that surged through her heart could only be described as an avalanche. Everything came rushing down on top of her at a mile a minute. He had, in a way asked her to marry him! How long had he been thinking of that? Was it just out of the blue, was it planned, did any of that really matter?

Naruto nodded. He was a little scared, until she smiled like she had never before.

"I love you." She finally said. "I love you. I love you. I love you. Of course it can happen!" This was the happiest moment in her life. Better than the day she had met him, better than when she had first confessed, better than when _he_ had confessed, better than _anything_. "I love you." She repeated again. "I really, really love you."

Naruto laughed aloud. "I love you too."

* * *

**Tenshi no Moui:** Fury of an Angel, Angel's Fury, etc: A secret and very rare bloodline ability. It can be activated once every seven generations, and it grants great power. Like the Hatake bloodline, it gives a different type of chakra, but unlike Hatake, it can be used as if it was normal chakra. It also enhances natural abilities.

There are two sides of this bloodline: Tenshi(Angel Form) and Akutenshi(Dark Angel Form). Each side has a different appearance. The first time someone activates it, they will take one form or the other, depending on what their intentions are. If they want to use the power for any selfish purpose, they become Akutenshi. After using it once, they will take the same form every time they use it for the rest of their life. So that means that no matter what her reason is, Hinata will always change into Tenshi when she activates it.

Tenshi Form was the mode that Hinata chose, her reason for using the power was to rescue Naruto, thus the 'light' form was granted to her. The Tenshi mode appearance is completely white in dress, and always has blue eyes. Everyone in the family line who activate this form was left with blue eyes for the rest of their lives. Tenshi Mode users also get a weapon, but don't automatically get skill with it. They gain skill with experience.

**Hakke: Niihyakugojyuurokushou:** Eight seals of divination: Two-hundred and fifty-six strikes. The Hakke techniques are among Hyuuga's most powerful line of attacks. Not only are there X-number of strikes attacks, but some defensive and some other offensive ones as well. Hinata's newest attack's high rate and number was thanks to the power boost from the Tenshi no Moui bloodline.


	28. I don't want to fight

**-"I don't want to fight"-**

* * *

Ryu pulled Risuki aside, according to the council of the other sane Shugokage members. But he didn't really have anything planned, all he knew was that he had to apologize somehow.

"Um…" He hesitated. "About the other day, when you heard Naruto and I talking…"

Risuki blinked in surprise, was this going to be an apology?. "Wh… What about it?"

"I was kind of stupid." He admitted. "I'm really sorry. I just... I wish you had told me earlier…"

"Why?" She asked, stunned. Apologizing was definitely not something she thought that Ryu was capable of.

Ryu grumbled incoherently for a second, but it sounded something like "Why must you ask me these things?" Then we went on. "Why do you think I stuck around this long, just because I needed a place to stay? I like being around you, you make me laugh."

"So… I'm funny?" She squinted at him in annoyance. "That's your apology?"

"No!" He quickly defended himself. "I mean, you're important to me."

"Huh?" Her eyes widened almost instantly. "What did you say?"

"It's weird, but I'm kind of jealous of Naruto. He's able to make you feel comfortable, and he's made you a happier person in only a week or two." Ryu said, just above a whisper. "But… I…"

"You…" Her mouth was hanging open by now. "You what?"

"I want…" he started again, staring at the floor and talking so softly that she could barely make out his words. "To be the one… who makes you happy."

Risuki grinned from ear to ear. She knew where he was going with this, and she was going to have fun with it. "You what?" She asked, as if she hadn't been able to hear him.

"I…" He said, a bit louder. Her bluff had worked, as she knew it would. "I don't know! I don't know what I'm supposed to say... but I want to make you happy." His voice grew more firm as he spoke, he was on a roll of sorts, and he couldn't stop now! "I like you!"

An hour passed in the time of only a few seconds before another sound was heard. "Idiot..."

"Yeah…" He sighed. "Sorry... I guess I'll just leave you alone."

He turned and took a step away, but something pulled him back. His shirt was tugged backwards. He looked to see what was happening and was caught off guard by what he saw.

She was holding the hem of his shirt, pulling him back toward her, smiling. "That's not what I meant."

"Huh?"

"You're an idiot..." She repeated for the thousandth time since they had known each other. Then her face took a slight red tint and she diverted her gaze,"But... that's not a bad thing."

* * *

Neji was the only one awake. It was late, Kiba and Hanabi were asleep, and he couldn't help but think that they didn't realize how serious their situation was.

"We're looking for Naruto and Hinata..." He whispered to himself. "But what happens when we do?"

It was a good question. He hadn't really planned that far ahead, which was very unlike him. It just went to show how much these recent events had rattled his brain.

"I'm a Shinobi of Konoha, and so are Kiba and Hanabi." He went on, letting his train of thought drift forward, not really sure where it would wind up. "If we find them, it's our duty to kill or capture them, and that's what Kiba and I promised Naruto anyway..."

He remembered the time when they had last seen him, weeks, maybe months ago. He couldn't remember just how long it had been, or what exactly had been said. But he did remember that he and Kiba had promised Naruto a fight the next time they met.

He had disobeyed orders twice already, he hadn't killed the two women, and he had allowed Naruto to escape with Hinata. He couldn't do that anymore, there was a real war brewing, and Hiashi's assassination was probably only a small part of it.

"What's wrong with me?" He asked the wall of his tent. "I don't even know what my next step will be. Either way, I can't afford to take any chances, I can't waver in these times. I have to remember who my allies are."

"Maybe…" He added hopefully. "I can convince them to come back and help us in the war."

* * *

That morning in Waterfall, Naruto started to stir. Hinata was awake before him, as usual.

"Naruto?" She asked, poking his forehead.

"Mff." He replied sleepily. "Hey."

"About last night…" She started, hesitantly. She wasn't sure what to ask, or what answer she wanted to hear. "Are we… are we ready for something like that?"

Naruto just grinned. "I don't think so. But we don't have to do it right away, we need to get this war behind us first. Then we can live our real lives after it's over."

Hinata was frankly astonished. He just gave her the worst possible answer and somehow, it was the best one. Her surprise showed on her face and Naruto grinned a little more. "I was up almost all night trying to figure out if I said the right thing, and I realized that it could happen."

"Oi, lovebirds!" Came loud voice, accompanied by an equally loud rapping on the door. "We're having a meeting downstairs."

They were downstairs quickly, and met by the whole of the Shugokage group.

"I think we still need a few more members, and fast. War could break out any day now." Jiraiya said to the group, arranged in the living area.

"I agree." Arashi stated. "But I don't really know much about who to ask… I've been dead for seventeen years."

"Uh…." Hinata froze in her tracks. "Am I the only one seeing a ghost standing right there? And not just _any_ ghost…"

Everyone turned to see Hinata, staring with an extremely confused expression.

"Oh, hi!" The same ghost turned and smiled at her. "Err... why are you looking at me like that? You've seen me before."

A ghost was talking to her, she realized after a second or two. "Oh, I mean. I've never seen... What's going on here?" She asked, turning her head to look at everyone. They couldn't help but laugh at her.

"Ehhh..." Naruto scratched his head. "He's the new member, I think."

"Down to business!" Genka yelled. "We need to have a plan. What we've got so far is a ragtag group of people from random places around the continent. We need to turn that into a fighting force to strike fear into any person's heart."

"That about sums it up." Ryu agreed. "Most of us are experienced, but we all have our weaknesses. I think we need more of a strategy than a plan really."

"A strategy?" Shuuzen asked. "Someone here actually makes sense."

"Hmm..." Jiraiya seemed to think for a moment. "We aren't as powerful as Akatsuki, but we can probably fake it. We need to carefully pick partners that suit each other, and we need to understand the dynamics of a war."

"First things first. We need to test each member's unique talents and pick partners." Osanai took charge. "There are plenty of places for that outside the village, in forests or in the mountains."

"I don't think we need to test that kind of thing." Risuki said, waving her hand. "We've all fought each other, except Sasame. And we also know most of our strengths and weaknesses. Basically, even if you did test us. There are only three of us that might need it."

"She's right." Shuuzen nodded. "Naruto and Hinata are already partnered. The rest of us have known most of the others for years. Ryu and Risuki are the only two that we don't know a lot about."

"So, we can just tell you our strengths and weaknesses." Risuki said, smiling confidently.

"No, we tell about each _other's_ high and low points." Ryu corrected. "We can gauge each other more honestly and accurately than we can ourselves."

"Makes sense." Risuki nodded. "But what's the point if we're the only two left?"

"There's still us old geezers." Genka joked, pointing at herself and the other older members. "We don't have partners, and if one of you suits one of us well, then that's probably the best way to go."

"Oh..." Risuki managed well enough to hide her dismay. She wasn't hiding it from the others as much as she was from Ryu. She didn't want to give him that satisfaction, last night she had just been in a good mood.

"Well, there's also one more thing." Jiraiya injected, scratching his chin. "You two have known each other for quite some time, and you probably know the other's personality quirks, and how the other will react in most situations."

"I hadn't thought of that before." Shuuzen realized. "It's more important to be able to know what the other will do next than anything else. That makes it easier to coordinate attacks, or to protect each other."

"So, does that mean that those two are automatically together?" Genka asked, confused.

"They get the final say, but that's how it looks." Arashi said with his usual peppy smile. "I'm pretty sure though, that they won't have any problems with it. It doesn't matter how hard she tried to hide it, but Risuki was upset when you said there was a possibility she wouldn't be with Ryu."

The poor girl's lower jaw dropped a few inches.

"Ryu was trying to hide a smile when you said that they'd probably be good partners." Arashi continued, pointing at Jiraiya. "They're probably really close friends."

The two targeted ninjas let out a quiet sigh of relief. Either the ghost was stupid, or he had realized that they didn't want anyone to know. And what relieved them even more – and made them feel like geniuses in a room full of idiots – was the fact that everyone else seemed to believe the "really good friends" thing.

"I guess you kids aren't needed here anymore." Genka said, waving them off. "Go train or make out or something."

"Oi." Risuki and Ryu both raised their hands and slid in front of Genka. "We're not kids."

"You're eighteen?" Genka asked, taken aback.

"Yeah." Risuki answered energetically. "I'm older than he is, though."

"Wow, adults..." Genka said, staring at the two. "You really don't act like it."

* * *

"That ghost is pretty observant." Ryu said with a sigh.

"Yeah." Risuki agreed, but with a more abrasive tone. "At least he didn't completely give it away."

The two walked silently for a few minutes admiring the effort put into repairing the village. It had been several months since it had been demolished, but now it was as good as new. There were storefronts on the streets, entertainment theatres and bars. Ryu had to wonder just how all this was possible in a place that wasn't supposed to exist. But there were thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people in the village. They had miraculously survived the collapse of the inner part of the mountain.

"Hey, I know you!" Came a familiar voice from one of the shops set up along the wide dirt road. "You're that Ryu kid, I thought I'd never see you again when I came here."

"Huh?" Ryu turned toward the voice. "You're... the restaurant manager! What are you doing here? Isn't this place supposed to be secret?"

Risuki turned to the man too. "Hey, you're that guy! I dragged Ryu away and he had to come back and pay you!"

"So you're here with her, too?" The manager gave Ryu a knowing look. "Didn't you say she was just a 'temporary' acquaintance?"

The poor guy looked petrified. _She's gonna kill me..._

"You said that?" She asked, relatively calm. But only _relatively_ so. She didn't seem too happy.

"Um... well that was-" He stopped when he saw her face. She was mad all right, but she almost seemed hurt, but more mad than hurt. "I didn't... back then..."

"Hmph!" Risuki turned, shut her eyes and folded her arms. "Dumbass."

"Ehehe..." He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "I know I am, especially with this kind of stuff."

"Looks like you've become a bit more humble, kid." The manager said with a hearty laugh. "You two look hungry. How about some food?"

"Is it free?" Risuki asked, opening one eye.

"Of course not!" The manager laughed. "That's bad business."

Ryu looked at the prices posted above the man's head. A few seconds later, sweatdrop appeared on his head. "Looks a bit more expensive than before."

"Yeah, I can't help it though." He answered with a sigh. "The village may be rebuilt, but it's hard to get supplies in here. It's a miracle we have electricity, someone must've struck a deal with some electric company."

"I've got some money." Ryu said a few moments later. With a smile, he pulled out his wallet and turned to Risuki. "You hungry?"

"Sorta..." She replied. "You have such dumb luck, you know that? You piss me off, then a few minutes later you accidentally say something nice."

They went to eat, talking with the store owner for a while, listening to his story of how he came to Waterfall. He had been born here, but left to live a normal life. He was never a ninja, but being a normal person in a town where nobody comes or goes was boring. When it was destroyed, he thought his family had all been killed until they had managed to get a secure message to him, telling of their safety. After that, he had left for home with his family, leaving the restaurant in Tea Country with his assistant.

He got pulled into his work, but he would listen in on the two every now and then. The poor kid had probably been called seven different rude names by that girl since they started eating.

They left, Ryu paid for both of them (and that pretty much emptied his wallet), then they left to see the rest of the village.

Risuki started slowly edging them closer and closer to the border of the "Village" area, and into what was mostly fields of grass, small patches of trees, and boulders randomly thrown around. All of it, of course, was underground, with fake sunlight that they still didn't quite understand.

"Sorry for being so mean back there..." Risuki mumbled. "I guess I'm still the old me when I'm around strangers."

"The old you?" He asked, confused. "I don't think you've changed. You just smile more"

"You're not the most romantic person in the world." She teased, laughing. "But you sure can fake it."

"I don't know about that stuff..." Ryu dodged her eyes as he spoke. "I don't know anything..."

"Ryu... last night..." Risuki's eyes, too, started shifting. She didn't know how to say what she wanted to say, but her body seemed to know how to express part of what she was feeling. Almost without thinking, she reached out and pinched the hem of his shirt between her fingers. "I..."

They remained for several minutes, staring in opposite directions, frozen and silent, connected at the point where Risuki's fingertips met the green cloth of his shirt. They were both afraid to look at the other, because the silence was comfortable. Risuki was the first to break the silence.

"I... I..."

"What is it?" Ryu asked caringly.

Instead of responding in words, she slowly pulled herself into his chest. "I don't know..."

"Why?" He asked. He wasn't especially surprised, but he wanted to know.

"Because I've always fought, I used to enjoy killing people." She explained, starting to sob just a little. "I didn't mind then... But now I feel different. I feel... scared. I don't want to get hurt, I want to be with you."

"That's pretty bold, it was only last night that we admitted our feelings right?" He half-teased, and half-scolded. "Isn't that acting a little too quickly?"

"I don't think it is." She said simply. "If anyone looked at me, they'd think I'm a completely different person today than I was yesterday. Everything changed last night... it's like the whole world is a different color than it used to be. I want to experience my new world, and leave my old world behind. I used to just... live. Now I want to _live._ And I want to live with you!"

It had come out wrong, but she didn't bother to correct it. It was a true statement either way.

Ryu shook his head and let out a long breath. "I know how you feel..."

"Does Naruto really need us?"

* * *

The evil Hokage was being paid another surprise visit by his master, and he had a foreboding feeling that sent chills down even his own spine.

"Master, what are you doing here?" The Hokage asked, letting his anxiety show through. "Even if I try to conceal you, the ANBU investigation squad is still on the lookout for any suspicious individuals!"

"Aren't some of your own men on that squad?" His dark-eyed master asked. "A lot of them know me already, I don't think I should worry too much. Besides, things should start to get interesting soon."

"What are you talking about, Master?"

"Those Hyuuga kids know I killed Hiashi." He said with an air of entertainment. "They've probably left to look for Naruto. I'm letting them live because they might just be able to do the hard work for me."

"How would they know Naruto is alive?"

"I know Neji personally. He probably saw through Jiraiya's fake story right away. I imagine Sakura is also in on the secret, and possibly some of the others from my old group."

"Should I take care of them?" The Hokage asked. "I'm here to do your dirty work."

"No, I think I'll handle it myself. After all, they were once my friends. And I think Sakura might be happy to see me."

"You're going to show yourself?" The Hokage's eyes widened. "Is that safe?"

"Of course." Sasuke's tone and expression fitted his position. He was the mastermind, the world was the stage in his puppet show and he could foresee and foreshadow every event that would happen.

Even the Hokage was his puppet, and this puppet hesitated for a moment before responding again. "... Forgive me."

"Forget it. I just came to let you know that things might start getting messy soon." The young Uchiha said with an exasperated sigh. "I'm sure that word of Hyuuga Hiashi's death has reached every corner of the continent. The Tsuchikage is probably giddy with the news, and you can bet we'll be seeing an envoy from him soon."

"An... envoy, sir?"

"Envoy, attack party, whatever you want to call it. You'll be getting a visit soon. Too bad I'll be out following the Hyuuga patrol or I might watch."

"Yes... sir." The Hokage said with a bow. "Thank you, please be safe."

"Right." He smiled and left. "Have fun."

Once he was out in the halls of the Hokage tower, he met up with his own personal aide.

"Sasuke-sama, did it go well?" Kabuto asked in his detached and cold, yet obedient way.

"I suppose." Sasuke replied, nonchalantly. "I'm going to go see an old friend. Meet me on the hospital's roof in ten minutes."

* * *

Sakura's days were finally becoming normal, there were less missions to take, and she had more freedom to get about her work in the hospital. That made her job considerably more stable than those of the rest of the ninjas. Indeed, a doctor was needed no matter what.

Most of her patients were children that day, mainly because her bedside manner was legendary among the hospital staff. Since it was a large hospital, a few had broken limbs from accidents playing or training, some were sick with the latest strain of influenza, some had high fevers, some were paralyzed. Just because Konoha was a "village" didn't mean it didn't have its share of stubborn kids doing dangerous things. In fact, it was larger than almost any city in the country in terms of population, with millions of residents. There were other hospitals, of course, and several doctor's offices for the less serious problems. But the Konoha Ninja Hospital was the best.

Her next patient was one of the more seriously ailed - a nine-year-old girl who had fallen down a flight of stairs. She had a heavy concussion and several broken bones. It was frightening how something so simple could do so much damage to a body.

The girl was progressing well, but her concussion was causing problems, and her head was still in bad shape. All they could do was watch her while she recovered.

As she approached the girl's room, she heard a dull electronic tone, a continuous tone. She recognized the sound, it was the sound that you only hear when a patient's heart stops beating.

"Minako-chan!" She rushed into the girl's room. Her eyes shot open in surprise and fear. _It... it can't be..._

"Yo, Sakura."

* * *

He couldn't believe he was doing this, he just couldn't believe it. Risuki didn't want to fight anymore, and all he could think about was making her happy. Before leaving, he ran to his own room and grabbed the sword he had carried since he was fourteen years old. Then he just grabbed her hand and ran toward the only exit he knew of.

He quickly remembered that they wouldn't be _allowed_ to leave. There were guards posted all over the gate, and they were under orders to stop anyone without authorization from Osanai. He knew it was inevitable, he knew they would have to fight their way out, so he silently slid the plain-looking Katana from its sheath.

Risuki couldn't even hear the sound, but she could almost feel the sword being drawn. "You never go anywhere without it, you must be really attached to that thing." She muttered in a low whisper.

Ryu stopped for a moment to look over the shiny blade. He was entrusted with the task of using it to protect people, but he was only going to cause more suffering by what he was about to do. And he was doing it only to create his own personal happiness, he was about to fight off innocent guards who were only doing their job. He wasn't their enemy.

But that seemed to be his fate everywhere he went. No matter what, all the sword wrought was destruction. _All this thing can do is hurt people... It's so worthless._

"No..." He corrected her without looking away from the gleaming blade. The sharpness of his gaze surpassed the sharpness the sword reflected in his eyes. "I hate this sword."

* * *

**-End of Chapter Twenty Eight-**

**Revised on 10/7/2011**


	29. Dark Secrets, an Evil Blade

**-Dark Secrets - an Evil Blade-**

* * *

A figure from her past stood in the room to greet her. "Yo, Sakura." He spoke with easily feigned warmth.

Sakura stared in fright at the man standing before her. "Sa..."

"What, can't remember my name?" He feigned sadness. "It's me. And don't bother with that emergency alert button you're pressing."

Sakura gasped and looked down at her hand, hidden behind her back. She was pressing the "code blue" button on the wall frantically. It was supposed to light up, but no light was emanating from it. Suddenly, a deep, inescapable feeling of solitude fell over her. Even someone in the next room could be working busily without knowing her peril.

"I wanted to check up on my old friends, but so many of them have already left this little village. At least you're still here." He flashed a friendly smile, taunting her more and taking a few steps forward.

Sakura's brain wasn't responding, it just reverted to its most basic instincts. Her body moved without her realizing it, and she sent all of her legendary strength into the center of his face.

Sasuke was blown completely off his feet and smashed halfway through the reinforced concrete wall, causing decorative panels to fall off on the outside of the building.

Sakura looked at her fist, it was cut and bleeding. The pain brought her mind back to reality and she gasped, remembering that she had just punched Sasuke. She looked up at the wall too make sure it had done its job.

"That hurt." He choked out. His nose and lips were bleeding, and he was going to have a black eye, but he was smiling. A sort of insane smile. "You're so cruel to attack the man you love."

"I don't love you!" She screamed.

"Oh, now you've broken my heart." He said with a sigh.

"Get away from me." She ordered, raising her fist. "I'll make sure you get more of this if you don't."

"Oh, I don't want any of that. I'll just go." He said, raising his hands.

"Wait..." She commanded. "Why did you kill Iruka-sensei?"

"To make Naruto mad." He replied simply. "You see, I need him. And he wasn't any use to me in that pitiful state, but I've freed him."

"What about your brother?"

"Of course, Itachi is my goal." Sasuke admitted. "But I need Naruto in order to get to him." With that, he turned toward the open window. "If you'll excuse me, I have to meet someone. But if you see Naruto, tell him I'm still waiting."

The conversation was finished, he leapt out the window and grabbed an invisible wire that pulled him straight up. After that, he was gone.

Sakura collapsed onto the floor, bawling. She had never felt fear like that in her life, she didn't know what it was. She shouldn't be so afraid of him, but he radiated evil, and his intent to kill had been so intense that she didn't know how anyone in the country couldn't feel it from a hundred miles away..

After a few seconds, the dull whine of the heart monitor changed back into a steady beep. The code blue alarm starting ringing, signaling that hospital staff would be there within fifteen seconds. And she could hear the little girl start breathing again, as if nothing had happened.

Sakura stared at the monitor, a steady spike indicated that the girl was indeed alive again, and the code blue switch was magically functional again.

She gasped as she realized what had happened. "All of this... a girl died, electronics went haywire, emergency alert systems stopped functioning... just from his killer intent..."

Just then, the door burst open and an emergency medical team rushed in, ready to save a life. But all the medical equipment reported that nothing was wrong. Sakura, however, was kneeling on the floor, her hand bruised and bloody, and there was a hole in the steel-reinforced concrete wall.

"What happened here?" One of the doctors asked. "Are you okay?"

On the roof, Sasuke leaned against the rail that kept him from falling off the building, while Kabuto stood a few feet away.

"If I may ask, what was the purpose of this little side-trip?" Kabuto asked, masking his annoyance well.

"I planted a seed in her heart." Sasuke answered. "It'll sprout and bring us fruit eventually, just wait and see."

* * *

"We need a place to stay tonight." Ryu told the young desk clerk at a motel they'd found in the nearby town. "How much is a room?"

"Oh." The female clerk sighed and looked through some schedule books, every few seconds peering at the two odd potential tenants. Ryu and Risuki were suspicious-looking enough to draw people's interest, and

Ryu didn't appreciate the looks they were getting. He also misunderstood them entirely. "What, I can't afford two rooms!" he shouted at the clerk, then quickly brought himself under check. "Er... sorry, I'm a bit overstressed. It's part of the job." He stated, pointing at the sword on his back.

"Your village isn't paying for the room?" The clerk asked as she pulled out a key and handed it to him. He immediately sensed a change in her attitude toward him, because of his outburst. It wasn't a positive change.

"No, we're mercenaries." Risuki explained, not knowing a better way to answer.

As they walked down the hall to their room, Ryu's newly-empted wallet hung from his right hand as he let out a perpetual sigh. "I should've taken more out of Naruto's purse than just pocket change."

"Don't worry about it." Risuki consoled him. "We'll make it, hey, I've got an idea!"

"Huh?" He didn't like the sound of that. "What's your idea?"

"I'll tell you in the morning." She snickered. "It's late, I just want to... well." She stopped, not really wanting to say it in public.

"So it's a good thing I could only afford the single room?" Ryu joked.

"You were serious!" She gasped. "You didn't want to stay in a room with me!"

"I don't really want to broadcast the wrong impression..." He responded nervously.

"Oh, what wrong impression would that be? That we're actually a couple and that we sleep in the same room?" She guessed, glaring. "How's that a 'wrong impression'? Since it's true and all."

"No. The wrong impression would be that we came here to have sex." He stated bluntly.

He knew he had gotten his point across when she blushed. "O-oh... That _would_ be bad... wouldn't it?"

Ryu laughed at her embarrassment. "I think this is it." He declared, turning the key in a doorknob. "Not the classiest place I've seen."

He was right, the whole room was simple. Beige walls, white carpet. White sheets, white pillows, a simple wooden nightstand. It did have a few amenities; an alarm clock, a small attached bathroom with an enclosed shower, and a window with a respectable view.

It wasn't as nice as the Shugokage building had been, but it was still in decent shape. "This town is pretty humble, but everything is pretty nice at the same time." Ryu said with a smile. "I hear it's a big tourist spot in the fall."

"I don't care." Risuki informed him. "I just want some sl..."

"What's wrong?"

"We really didn't plan this out very well..." She said with a sarcastic smile and a sweat-drop. "I didn't bring a change of clothes... or anything for that matter."

"I've got my clothes, some basic hygiene stuff – soap, toothpaste, whatever – and a few other things." He laughed. "I guess I should've known you'd forget."

* * *

"Naruto!" Came Osanai's voice. "I think I've got a lead!"

Naruto turned frantically to find where the voice was coming from. "You found them?"

The young leader of Waterfall village stopped and caught his breath in front of Naruto and Hinata. "I don't know where they are. But they're not anywhere around here. It looks like they ran off, and tore down anyone who tried to stop them."

Naruto couldn't believe it. "That doesn't sound like him... Ryu wouldn't do that."

"You said the girl used to be affiliated with Sound." Osanai ventured. "What if she never cut ties? He might be working for sound with her."

"No!" The blonde shot back. "He isn't, he's not that stupid."

"We have to consider the possibility." Osanai argued.

"That's true, but..." Genka walked into the room. "We found most of Risuki's possessions in Ryu's room. And I think she'd want to pack a bra if this whole thing was planned."

"In Ryu's room?" Hinata mused. "You don't think..."

"Oh, he definitely has feelings for her." Shuuzen injected. "Maybe those feelings were reflected last night, maybe they're just eloping or something."

"So what do we do?" Naruto groaned.

"Do you think you could find them, Naruto?" Genka asked. "With your special sense?"

"It doesn't work from far away." He shook his head. "If we were close enough to them, then yeah. But how would we do that?"

"I don't think we need to worry about them." Hinata told him. "Something tells me they just need to be alone for a while. They might never come back, or they might be back next week. There is probably a good reason for this. And Osanai didn't say they actually killed anyone."

"You're right, the guards are all fine now. They said that he used his sword's transforming ability to make a blunt edge. All they have are a bunch of bruises and wounded pride."

Everyone became silent for a few moments.

"Doesn't sound like he's trying to betray us. Maybe he's just stressed." Genka muttered. "I guess we'll have to let it go for now."

* * *

"Hey, Neji." Kiba elbowed the Hyuuga genius to get his attention. "Any idea how much further to Sand?"

"It's not much further." Neji answered. "While I've never been there, I know its general location."

They had been battling against the sandstorms and gusts of the desert area of the Wind country for two days now, wandering half-aimlessly until they could find anything. Of course, they had been more than prepared for the trip since it was part of their plan from the beginning, so it hadn't been too difficult.

Hanabi had been holding up impressively well. Neji couldn't remember her ever being this patient, she just kept going. She was looking for the last bit of family she had left, and one that she thought had been dead for several months.

Akamaru, who had been unusually quiet for most of the trip, let out a bark. Over the horizon, through the sand blowing in the wind, the silhouette of round buildings came into view.

"I think we found it." Neji said with a smile of relief.

They started to hurry across the remaining desert, closing the distance between themselves and the main entrance to the large city. When they finally reached the gate, a guard appeared in front of them, blocking their path.

"State your intentions." The guard demanded professionally.

"We're on Konoha and Hyuuga business, and we wish to see the Kazekage immediately." Hanabi answered, just as professionally.

"They sent a little girl on Hyuuga business?" The guard asked after lightening up a little.

Neji stepped up before Hanabi could snap out a retort. "Please refrain from addressing Hyuuga Hanabi-Sama in that manner. Who else would be sent if not the head of the family herself?"

"So you want me to believe that she's the head of the family?" He didn't believe it, but was bound by protocol. "Would you like an escort the Kazekage's office?"

"We're fine." Hanabi answered. "Please open the gate."

The guard sent a signal up to a companion, stationed atop the city wall. A few seconds later, the gate opened, revealing a much neater city than one would expect in the middle of a desert.

They quickly made their way to the Kazekage's office building, which stood out among the rest as the largest one. Once they entered, a few familiar faces greeted them.

"Hey, you two are from Konoha..." The man that Neji remembered as Kankurou stated the obvious. "You both got pummeled by Naruto during the exams way back in the day."

Kiba's eyebrow twitched. "It was all luck, nobody could have predicted that!"

"That's not important right now." Neji told Kiba, trying to hold back a laugh.

"You guys want to see Gaara, huh?" Kankurou predicted. "He's pretty much available, but you might have to wait a few minutes anyway. He's with an important person from the Rain country at the moment."

"Thanks." Neji gave a polite smile and sat down in a chair.

"Hey, Kankurou." Came a female voice. "Who's here?"

"A couple of Hyuugas and that kid that Naruto smacked down way back."

"Oh?" A woman walked into the room. Kiba and Neji recognized her as Temari, the girl who had thrashed Ten-Ten and who had almost lost to Shikamaru. "I know of a few people that've lost to that guy, which one is it?"

She gave them a good look and laughed. "They both lost to him."

"What's with the constant teasing?" Kiba growled. "Everyone keeps rubbing it in that we lost to him. What's the big deal?"

"Gaara has very few friends." Temari started, turning a bit more serious. "Naruto is probably his closest."

"Is?" Neji asked curiously. "Isn't he dead?"

"It would take a lot to kill him." Kankurou stated with some sort of pride. "I think he's still alive."

Neji chuckled. "It looks like we're all on the same page here."

Before anyone could respond, the door to Gaara's office swung open and a man walked out. "Thanks, Gaara-sama. Until next time."

It wasn't until he turned around that Kiba realized who the man was. He inhaled sharply and gasped out. "You!"

He turned to find out who had spoke, and upon seeing Kiba, he smiled. "Been a while. You're that Inuzuka kid who seems to like Hinata, right?"

Neji and Hanabi stared at Kiba, then the mysterious man in turn. Both were actually quite surprised. Neji thought Kiba had liked her at one point, but he didn't think it was ever anything someone else would notice.

"B-Huh?" Was the only sentence Kiba could form for a few seconds. "H... How do you know that?"

The man blinked in surprise. "Wait... I was just joking. You mean you _do _like her?"

The poor Inuzuka teen's assault had backfired, and he had been backed into a corner. "Uhhh..."

"Haha, sorry to break it to you kid, but aren't they supposed to be dead?"

"They know." Temari injected.

"Oh... Well in that case; sorry to break it to you kid, but last I heard, 'those two' are sleeping together."

Hanabi gasped and Kiba's mouth dropped halfway to the floor, but Neji managed to retain his poker face. "How do you and Kiba know each other?" he demanded firmly.

"Oh, Naruto trained with me for a while a couple months ago, back in the summer. I was just going with him to Rain country. But don't worry, he's not there anymore."

"Where is he?" Neji's eyes narrowed.

"Do you think I'd tell _you_? Even if I did know, there's not a chance I'd let someone like you know."

"I'm willing to bet you know, and I'm willing to bet you might have some trouble against three opponents." Neji smirked. "Want to try again?"

"Fight me all you want. I don't know where he is, and you aren't ready for an opponent like me anyway. Even if you are one of Konoha's elite Jounin, you wouldn't really fare well."

Kiba and Akamaru growled at the man as he turned and walked out of the waiting room. "Oh, Gaara, you know how to contact me if you need to."

Gaara remained silent until he was gone. "I apologize for the inconvenience. You needed to see me, Hyuuga Neji, Inuzuka Kiba and..."

"Hyuuga Hanabi." She introduced herself. "Head of the Hyuuga main family."

"Ah, I'm sorry about what happened to your father." Gaara replied politely, with a faint glint of feigned pity in his eyes. Then he turned to Neji. "How can I help you?"

"Kazekage-sama." Neji bowed politely. "We would ask that you help us. We are searching for Uzumaki Naruto, and believe that he passed through here at some point."

"It was over a year ago, but he was sighted in this area." Gaara confirmed. "You can trust me when I say that I haven't heard anything of him until the recent announcement of his death."

"Do you believe he is dead?" Neji asked.

"I don't believe anything." He answered. "If he is alive, then he is alive. If he is dead, then he is dead. Is there anything else?"

"Do you have any idea which direction he went after that?"

"He seemed to be traveling with a missing-nin from the Rain country." Gaara reported. "I don't know what direction he went."

* * *

You want me to do what?" Ryu asked. "This is so wrong."

"You heard me." She grinned. "Turn your sword into some giant, terrifying weapon. Become sort of an underworld thug or something. It's certainly safer than getting in the middle of a war."

Ryu nodded in agreement at the last statement. "It is a safer idea... But I'd definitely have to make up an alias. Something scary or would be better."

"'Ryu' is plenty scary." Risuki told him. "Why change it?"

"Just to be safe. If Naruto or someone else got our real identities, we could get into some real danger."

"Fine." She mumbled. "Hitogoroshi Gasuke, then."

Ryu stood with a puzzled expression. "Not... bad... How'd you come up with it that fast?"

Risuki was completely silent for a few moments, that kind of solemn sadness that he almost never experienced from her. "It's the name of a character from a story I was told once."

"Nevermind, I won't ask about that again." Ryu said with a sigh. "But where do we go to find someone who needs an underworld assassin?"

"I know a few places..." Risuki said. "Even in a place like this, people have vendettas. People are assassinated or pushed around every day, we just don't hear about it. We need to find the people who want the job done..."

"There's just one problem with your plan." Ryu sighed. "I can't just kill people."

"Your morals?" Risuki frowned. She didn't want to make him do something he didn't feel was right.

"Yes, and no." He replied. "It's not only that... It's forbidden for me to kill out of cold blood. Even taking the name 'Hitogoroshi' is cutting it a little close."

"Forbidden? But you ran away from your village."

"It's not forbidden by my village... It was forbidden by my master, when he gave me this sword..."

"What?" She looked at the sword leaning against the wall of their hotel room.

"I won't be able to carry out my mission if I kill out of cold blood. I have to keep my hands clean, no matter what."

"Does that have something to do with your sword?" Risuki asked, judging by the solemn look in his face. It was identical to the one he has worn when he told her that he hated it.

"Yeah, the sword is my mission." He replied. "I hate it because it is only capable of one thing in the end: bringing misery."

"It's a sword, made to kill." She shrugged. "You didn't realize that when you became a swordsman?"

"That's not what I mean..." He sighed. "This specific sword, it is one-of-a-kind. It is destined to bring sadness, that is all it's capable of. You can protect people with a sword, as I have done with mine for years. But there's one key difference."

"What's that?" Risuki asked.

Ryu stared straight into her eyes, sending a chill down her spine. "My sword is evil. It's as simple as that."

"E-evil?" She stuttered, caught-off-guard by his seriousness.

"To put it bluntly, yes." He confirmed. "I can't go any further than that, even for you."

Risuki calmed down a little and got back to the reason they were discussing this, wishing he could tell her more. "So you can't kill people... and I know you don't want me to... so what now?"

"Bodyguards." He said with a half-smile. "Defense isn't cold-blooded killing."

"Sounds good to me." Risuki said with a smile, she liked the idea a lot better than killing strangers for another person's benefit. "I guess this is why I keep you around."

The boy laughed aloud and stood up. "I'm going to go see if they serve breakfast here, I'll be back in a few minutes."

He walked out the door while she smiled at him, but when he was outside and the door was shut behind him, she let out a sigh and frowned. "I don't get this..."

She stared out their window, it was getting cloudy. "It's going to rain for a few days... No, what am I getting off-subject for? Wait... I'm only talking to myself, there isn't really a subject..." She moaned.

She kept staring at the dark clouds, waiting for the first drop to fall. When a drop of water splashed onto the glass, she slouched forward. "What am I doing? I don't want to be a bodyguard. The whole reason we left Naruto is so we wouldn't have to fight like this... and here I am, saying we should fight again."

After a few more moments, the rain started pouring down heavily. "I only want to be with him. But at the same time, I want _more..._"

She sighed again. She knew exactly what she wanted._ There are still so many secrets..._

After thinking to herself for a few moments, her attention seemed drawn to the sword that leaned against the wall. "What did he mean by 'evil'? It's just some magic sword or something isn't it?"

She laughed at the sheer stupidity of what she had just said. "Yeah, _just some_ magic sword. It's gotta have something special about it, especially with that transforming ability."

She crawled over to get a closer look. "It looks normal... At least when it's in the sheath."

Its hilt seemed to attract her hand to it like a magnet. "I wonder..."

She gripped the handle and slid the sword a few inches out of its hilt. It still looked so normal, like it always had.

"Maybe it's not the sword that has that ability, maybe that whole transforming thing something Ryu does on his own. I wonder if he can make any sword- What the..." Her eyes widened in surprise, she _felt _something. It felt like a warm liquid was coming out of the handle.

She looked at her hand and gasped. _B-blood? Am I bleeding?_

The strange energy she felt coming from the thing became steadily more powerful until it felt like her entire body was covered in a warm energy, pressing down on her as if gravity had doubled. _W... What is this?_

**I am hungry.**

Risuki yelped and threw the sword back on the ground. She looked at her hand, there was no sign of blood. The air around her felt cool and light again. "Did that sword... _speak _to me?"

* * *

End of Chapter Twenty-Nine

Revised on 10/25/2011


	30. The Team Disperses

**All right guys, I've discovered that this entire story I've been wrong about Sasame's home country. She's actually from Sound Country, NOT Tea Country.**

**Either way, I was wrong. But I'll continue to say she was from Tea country, because if I go back and change it, that would mean screwing up a lot of my plot. So, I have granted myself the power to cut a country in half and rename part of it. And also the power to wipe an island (and one potential extra character, Morino Idate) off the map.**

**Yeah, Idate is from the REAL Tea country, which is an island. So, the island of Tea Country no longer exists. (In this fanfiction at least)**

**Sorry for all that...**

* * *

**-Chapter 30: The Team Disperses-**

* * *

"What's our next step, Neji?" Kiba asked once they were outside of Sand's walls. "We figure they're out there somewhere. But where?"

"That man that we saw in the Kazekage's office might have told us a bit too much." Neji replied with a smile that plainly said he was finally beginning to unravel the mystery, one step at a time. "He's from Rain. But almost a year before you saw him with Naruto, Naruto was seen with a missing-nin from Rain."

"I think I get it. He was training with 'an important person from Rain', as Kankurou called that guy. But before that, he had been with a missing-nin from the same village."

"Exactly." Neji confirmed. "We have one connection; they're from the same village. And since this man – whose name we so casually forgot to ask – is a higher-up, that means he definitely knows the faces, names and abilities of every documented missing-nin from his village. So he _knew_ the person Naruto was traveling with."

"Hm..." Kiba pondered. "So what's the connection between them?"

"Well, tell me anything he said to you that may seem useful." Neji said with a shrug. "That's the first thing I can think of."

"Hmm..." Kiba thought for a minute. "Oh, I was at a hotel for the night before I went home. I saw him there again, and he was just as casual and sarcastic as ever. But looking back, he was also just as loose with information as ever. I asked him if Hinata was okay, and he told me that she had been training with two women, very skilled ones."

"Two women..." Neji hummed for a second. "He trained with this man for almost a year, and that would mean that Hinata probably trained with these two women for just as long... and that means that..."

"Naruto probably met the guy while he was with that missing-nin!" Kiba shouted with such enthusiasm that one might think he won the lottery.

"So that guy from Rain is potentially collaborating with a missing-nin. Sounds like he might be a shady character to me. And what is a representative of Rain doing talking with Konoha's allies. Last I checked, Konoha and Rain were on bad terms." Neji pondered, using his famous objective and logical reasoning. "What if one of those women, or even both of them, are Rain missing-nins? What else do you know about them?"

"Naruto and that guy ran into Rain country. But he was back in Fire country, in that big city, only an hour later when I saw him at the hotel." Kiba answered, making sure not to leave out anything important. "So they can't be too far in."

Neji grinned, he had an idea. "Kiba, do you know what I'm thinking?"

"You want me to find out where they went." Kiba returned the grin. "I can track anything, Akamaru and I are even better than Kakashi-sensei and pokkun."

Hanabi was completely lost in their conversation. She didn't know much of the geography of any area more than a few miles outside of Konoha, and she didn't have nearly as much talent in deductive reasoning as Neji had. Nor did she know much about tracking. All her life, she'd been trained in politics and fighting, this whole search was a brand new experience to her.

"So when do we go find this place?" She asked.

It was finally Kiba's turn to lead the conversation, since the whole plan currently depended on his tracking skills. "Tomorrow morning, after a good rest at a certain hotel."

Kiba and Neji shared a grin. They were one step closer to solving the puzzle.

* * *

Hinata sighed, but it was a happy sigh. She was finally getting out of Waterfall for another mission. Of course, that meant Naruto was with her, which also meant that they would be alone. And the best part? There was little or no danger involved.

Of course, they had thought the same thing last time, and look where that got them. Both of them nearly died, twice, they got new friends, who abandoned them soon after, and a whole mess involving a confusing love triangle and a few other weird relationships that had been previously unknown.

Maybe there _was_ a chance that something would go wrong this time, as it did more than once last time. But until that happened, it was more or less a vacation for just the two of them. And they needed it.

They left the underground village in the afternoon, which would normally be quite unusual. It would make more sense if they left in the morning, that way they'd be fully rested and would be able to go further on the first day. But this was a special exception: Their boat would be leaving at seven-o-clock in the evening.

A boat? Oh, of course. The boat is their ride to the Snow country, where they are to seek out the elusive Ryoku. Not even Genka had been able to reach him over the past few months. So their only alternative was to go and find him. Of course, Naruto knew how to find Snow village, which wasn't too far from Ryoku's home. And he knew all the right people to ask. All he had to do was find them.

A simple search-and-retrieve mission in a remote land, where they had very little chance of any run-ins with bad guys like Akatsuki, or any hunter-nins. Of course, Hunter-nins were something they had to worry about when leaving the base. But as the political tension toward Konoha grew, fewer hunters were to be found.

The pair walked at a brisk pace. The harbor town was only a short distance to the north. It was an uneventful trip to the harbor town of Raikou, which was just what the doctor ordered. Of course, they weren't wearing anything to signify their missing-nin status, and had opted not to wear Genka's Shugokage robes. They were quickly realizing that those outfits were too clumsy to really be useful. Instead, they just wore casual clothes, Hinata had a sweatshirt that Naruto thought showed _just _the right curves. This had been intentional on Hinata's part, of course. He was just wearing a jacket over a tee shirt.

"We've got two hours, what do you want to do?" Naruto asked with a wide grin. "This place isn't much of an adventure, but I think after what we've been through lately, an adventure is the last thing we want."

Hinata nodded her agreement and looked around, searching for something quiet and romantic. Would you expect anything less?

"I think..." She mumbled. But she was interrupted by Naruto's stomach.

"Umm... maybe we can find some food first." Naruto ventured, being controlled by his hunger.

Eventually, Hinata found a good place to go. A movie was playing, and it was _just_ short enough to leave them some time to get to their boat. After a fluffy movie that had Hinata on the verge of tears, and that Naruto couldn't really appreciate, they made their way to the ship docks.

"Where's our boat?" Hinata wondered. She had no earthly idea how to tell which one was destined for the far northern tip of Snow country. Soon enough though, they found the vessel that was leaving for their destination. It was a little larger than they expected.

"There are tourists and such that go there this time of year for skiing. You could walk there, but this is much safer, and much faster." The sailor attending the boarding ramp explained. "So the ship to carry them all is rather large. I assume you're not going for the skiing though, since you didn't know about it."

"Yeah, we're visiting a friend." Naruto carefully told him.

"Oh, well I hear the roads are pretty dangerous. Snow piles up and everything freezes over since it's winter. The only safe route is to the mountainside, for the tourists. So I hope you don't get hurt."

Hinata thanked him, Naruto have him their tickets, he returned them and told them where to go for their room.

"Wow..." Hinata gawked at the size of the ship. "This thing is _huge_. You could almost get lost on a ship like this."

"Let's just find our room before that happens." Naruto said with a laugh. "It's a three-day trip, but it might be a little longer. I was on a very fast ship last time I went."

"Three days?" Hinata was more than a bit surprised. "It's that far?"

"Yep, that's how long it took before." He answered with a smile.

Hinata took the tickets from his hand, scanning them with furious speed. "Room 201."

Naruto hesitated before asking her what was going on. "Umm..."

Hinata looked at him and laughed aloud. "We'll be all alone, nobody to annoy us like Genka."

He caught on almost instantly. All alone, with nothing but the ocean and the other passengers, who didn't care a bit who they were. But part of him – albeit, it was a small part – wanted to look around the ship. Of course, his adult hormones quickly overruled his childish desire to explore.

* * *

"So, Osanai." Genka bugged the teenage village leader. "Shuuzen and myself are leaving for a short while. We, as a group, desperately need more information about what's going on in the outside world. Ero-sennin's information is pretty much expired by now, since we've had him for what... almost a month now?"

"What does that have to do with me?" Osanai grumbled. She'd pulled him away from important Waterfall village business just to tell him this?

"Ah, see, that's the thing." She smiled. "We also need a few very specific items. You're currently our best bet at getting them."

"Most of them won't be too difficult." Shuuzen told him, before Genka had a chance to describe some impossibly difficult mission that nobody would come back alive from. "Fortunately for us, with the combined income from the Fuuma clan, and from royalties for Jiraiya's book series, we have enough money to buy most of the supplies that we can't get within the village."

"Jiraiya's... book... that's dirty money." Osanai joked. "But what kind of stuff do you want me to buy? And why does it have to be me? I've got a village to run you know."

"To tell you the truth, it's because Jiraiya stands out too much." Shuuzen said with a shrug, telling him that there wasn't much she could do about it. "We don't know if they've realized he's defected. That's part of the information we're going to get on our own trip. But it's best to play it safe, and since you've probably almost never been outside of this mountain, you'll be fine. Nobody should recognize you."

"Of course, you'll need a partner." Genka grinned. "We'll always be strictly following one rule: whenever anyone leaves the base, they _must_ bring a partner."

"Sasame?" He asked, as if he had been expecting that the entire time. "Sure, it'll be a good chance to get to know her anyway."

"Oh?" Genka gave him a suspicious glare.

"Not like that, crazy old lady." He groaned. "I know about her feelings for him."

"Well, it seems that you two are the only young ones here that aren't already in bed together." Genka teased, laying it on thick. "Something is bound to happen, if not for anything but to make yourselves feel better about being single."

"Wait... the only young ones that aren't in _bed_ together?" His eyes widened. "I figured Ryu and Risuki had spent a night alone, since we found her bra in his room and all. But Naruto and Hinata?"

"Damn." She cursed under her breath. "You didn't hear it from me. Now go get Sasame and come back here, we'll have a shopping list for you."

Osanai did as requested, came back with a slightly confused Sasame, and they set out.

"So I figured I'd be able to find out a little more about you." Osanai said in an interested voice. "I don't really know you very well, since I'm so busy all the time."

"Okay." She shrugged. "Um... what do you want to know?"

He laughed, half at himself and half at her. "Okay, I guess you're right... so what kind of... stuff... do you like?"

"I don't really know..." She thought aloud, holding her chin and looking up at the sky. It was a real sky this time, not the weird illusion inside the village. "I'm just a normal girl, pretty much."

"So... boys and slumber parties?" He asked. "I don't really know what to think when you say 'normal girl'."

"Oh... I like boys, I guess..." She sighed, thinking about the boy she liked. He was very much taken.

"What kind of fighting do you prefer?" He skipped right ahead.

"I don't really like fighting." She admitted. "But I'm fairly trained in my family's secret techniques. I'm a lot stronger than most of the other girls in the clan too, I just prefer to watch a fight than participate."

"I hear the Fuuma clan has some powerful secret moves. I think it's a good thing we have you around." He said with a semi-vacant expression on his face. "I'd like to see them someday."

"Where are we going anyway?" She asked. "I don't know this area."

"Actually..." He started scratching the top of his head. "It's the first time I've ever been outside the village. But I do know how to get around, and there's a small city nearby." He explained, gesturing toward the mountains.

"Is that where we're going?"

"Yeah, that's the first part at least. It seems that our shopping list is more of a short mission that a trip to the market. That's why we had to bring the tents and supplies."

Sasame looked at the bag that was strapped over Osanai's back. She had been wondering why it seemed so full before they even got their shopping done. "How long will we be out?"

"A few days, probably." He shrugged. "Nothing too long I guess. Maybe we'll even be able to play tourist in a few places."

They shared casual talk and several laughs, most of which were at the expense of Naruto's or Jiraiya's dignity. It was a short hike to the city, which was surprisingly close in both their opinions.

"Of course... this is a normal town. That means that getting stuff for a ninja group might be a little rough." Osanai stated with a sigh. He hadn't figured that far ahead. "I guess we'll have to figure out where to look. And I don't think it's going to be in a particularly happy place."

Dark alleys, run-down buildings. It was like looking for a drug dealer or something. But like drug dealers, weapons dealers didn't always hide in the shadows. But Osanai and Sasame were both relatively naive in this respect, and looked in the shadows anyway.

They couldn't find anything, and just as they were about to give up and think of another plan, Osanai heard a noise.

"Did someone scream?" He asked as he turned in the direction he thought it had come from. "I think it's coming from this way!"

He ran off before Sasame could get a word in. She wasn't able to keep up with him, but when she reached the place where the cry had come from, she saw a young woman, probably not any older than themselves, Osanai and a few dangerous-looking thugs. Of course, thugs were a laughing matter to her, being a ninja and all. She decided to let him take care of it.

"Hey, guys. A gentleman wouldn't corner a lovely young lady in a dark alley." Osanai smiled at them, they grunted in response. "Let's just all be nice. I'm sure she will be more willing to cooperate if you all try to be a little kinder."

His teasing definitely wasn't making them any more docile. A man stepped forward in front of his to comrades, and wordlessly expressed that he was the leader. "Hey, kid. Get out of the way or something dangerous might accidentally happen."

"Yeah" The thug to the boss's left snickered. "My fist might accidentally collide with your head."

"Oh, come on." Osanai kept his friendly expression on. "Just leave her alone. If you don't, you might be the ones that'll have an accident."

The boss laughed and signaled for his boys to show Osanai a lesson. "Let's see you act all high and mighty with a few broken bones."

"Oh, come on boys." Osanai shrugged and shook his head. "I guess you all just want to play a little. But I want to play with the boss man."

The first thug threw a punch at Osanai's face. The poor fool's fist was clutched in the teenage ninja's hand practically before he even threw it.

"Now come on, you're all muscle and no finesse." He shrugged and tossed the thug back into the other one. "Maybe your boss will be a little more fun. But of course, if he leaves the cute girl alone from now on, maybe I'll just let him go."

"Hah, we've got a personal issue with this girl." The boss said with a grin to match Osanai's. "Maybe you'll just let us carry on with what we were doing. It's all just business."

Osanai seemed a little agitated at that. "I'm telling you to leave her alone." He took a step forward and his airy attitude was gone, his eyes changed to an aggressive glare. "You don't want to fight me."

"You shouldn't get involved in this..." The girl muttered from behind Osanai. "It's not your problem."

Osanai turned halfway around with a sympathetic look. "I know you don't want to get me in trouble. But what kind of person would I be if I let them do anything to you?"

"But you don't know who you're dealing with!" She warned. "This guy's just another thug. He's nothing special, I even knew him as a kid."

That had been the wrong thing to say, if she wanted Osanai to step aside. After hearing that, he couldn't. _They knew each other as children? What the hell is this guy's problem? _"Well, miss." He sent her a reassuring smile. "They don't know who they're messing with either."

She wanted to tell him it was pointless, he'd just get attacked by higher-ups from the gang the thugs were from. But she could also tell he was stubborn.

Osanai, satisfied that she wouldn't mind his help anymore, turned back to the thug leader. "I'm giving you five seconds to get out of here. Your little lackeys too."

"One..."

The men stood up at the side of their leader.

"Two..."

The three gangsters started to snicker.

"Five!"

They didn't have much time to react, but it would've been useless even if they had. Osanai pounded the two thugs into the ground and pinned the leader to the wall by his neck.

"I said leave her alone." He whispered toward the man's face. After he was satisfied that he had scared them enough, he tossed the man toward the alley's opening.

The man quickly ran away, his two little friends quickly followed suit, leaving Osanai, Sasame and the other girl alone in the alley.

"Are you okay?" He gave the girl a friendly smile and offered to help her to her feet.

Sasame watched as Osanai turned on his charm. Hinata had told her once that he was probably an excellent ladies' man, but she had thought that was a joke. Either way, it was quite entertaining to watch, Osanai was grinning and the poor girl was blushing like there was no tomorrow.

"Thank you." She bowed clumsily. It seemed everything she was doing was a bit clumsy and flustered. "But you really didn't have to do that."

"What would have happened to you if I hadn't?" Osanai asked in a serious tone, letting her know that there was no way he would've considered _not_ helping her.

She was silent for a moment, then seemed to get an idea. "Please, come to my home." She said with a smile, making Osanai lose his balance for a moment. "My father will explain everything."

On they way to her house, she introduced herself as Mei, a sixteen year old local girl. Osanai and Sasame introduced themselves, and upon being asked if they were a couple, quickly and politely answered "no".

"Thank you for helping my daughter." A wealthy-looking man with a huge estate bowed humbly, sitting next to Mei on a mat. "Please, how can I ever repay you."

Osanai and Sasame were sitting on the floor across from him. "Why was she being assaulted anyway?"

"The Kedamono gang has been my family's nemesis for generations. But now it looks like they've dropped so low to attack my daughter. Please, don't misunderstand; my family, the Abunai group, is much more ethical. We only wish for our territory to be left alone, and to be left in peace. Unfortunately, the Kedamono gang sees us as a cowardly bunch because of that."

"So... a gang war?" Osanai sighed. "For them to attack your daughter, that's pretty dirty."

"Yes, but we will be much more careful in the future." Mei's father, and the boss of the Abunai group, declared. "I will not let my only daughter fall into their hands again."

"What were you two doing in those dark alleys anyway?" Mei asked curiously. "I try to stay as far away from places like that as I can."

Osanai thought for a moment. This family was a gang, surely they'd be able to help them in this situation. "We're looking for a dealer... we need weapons."

"Weapons?" Abunai brightened up. "Please, tell me what you need. I'll make sure you get it."

"Of course, you will accept our payment. Won't you?" Osanai grinned. He wasn't about to let this man accidentally give away a large quantity of expensive weapons. "Just helping us find them is all the thanks I need."

"Stop taking all the credit." Sasame whispered under her breath, carefully assuring that nobody heard her.

"You're an honest man, Osanai-san. I only wish more people were as generous as you." Mei's father smiled. Once he saw the amount of weapons he was about to sell, his wallet would smile too.

"Thanks." Osanai grinned. Sasame wasn't sure if he was elaborately walking on the fine line between polite and insulting, or if he was just being clumsy. Either way, he had saved Mei, and was able to get away with any improper conduct.

A few minutes later, after the obligated pleasantries and chitchat, Abunai sent Osanai and Sasame out of the room, offering them a free meal since it was getting late.

"I like that boy." He chuckled.

"I don't think we should trust him too much." Mei whispered. "He's hiding something."

Her father was a bit startled. "Why do you say that? He seems like a fine young man."

"When he fought Shigeku, something in his eyes... changed." She shuddered, remembering the transformation from happy and sarcastic, to dark and intimidating. "It was the look of a hardened fighter. Someone like him is dangerous to have around for too long."

* * *

End of Chapter Thirty

Revised on 10/25/2011


	31. The Confusion

**- The Confusion -**

* * *

"Hey, Ryu. I heard something interesting earlier." Risuki said as she finished packing her bag. They spent the day buying clothes to replace what she left behind. "Someone took out a bunch of the Kedamono gang's henchmen, and saved the daughter of the Abunai gang's boss. The Abunai group's headquarters is really close to Waterfall..."

"Why do we care about gang wars all of a sudden?" Ryu raised an eyebrow.

"I was getting information from someone in the Abunai group and he happened to mention it. He said that it was just a kid. And there was a brunette with him about the same age. They bought a bunch of equipment from the Abunai group for cheap, too."

"If you're thinking Osanai, then you're probably mistaken." Ryu deducted. "If they were looking for us, Naruto would be with them. Genka and Shuuzen would probably come too. Jiraiya, well, one never knows what Jiraiya's up to."

"It's still interesting." She said with a grin. "Who else would buy ninja equipment and weapons?"

"It doesn't matter, we're not involved anymore." Ryu smiled. "We just need to get away from here."

"Let's go then." She smiled back. "I know a few places where a bodyguard can make a good living. First stop, a city in the Honey country."

"Sounds good to me." Ryu threw the pack and sword over his back, "If we leave now, we'll have the cover of night. I think that in our position, that's the best way to go."

* * *

"Naruto..." Hinata half-moaned, half-cooed. "You should be more frisky in bed." She had been saying things like this for the past several minutes.

"I'm sure, Hinata." He blushed madly. Everyone was staring at them, and Naruto was glaring evilly at the waiter. The man had accidentally given her alcohol, and apparently Hinata got drunk easily.

A few onlookers realized Naruto's plight and laughed at him, giving him sympathetic looks as if to say 'I'm sorry, but I'm glad I'm not in your shoes'. Of course, several of them wished they _were _in his shoes. He quickly whisked her out of the galley, back onto the deck of the ship.

"Hinata, are you feeling okay?" He asked, but he knew what the answer would be.

"Yeah, I feel great." She smiled brightly, but at the same time, tipped over a few inches and barely regained her balance. The ship's tossing in the waves and her current lack coordinated movement made a bad combination.

"Let's go back to our room." The blonde grabbed his girlfriend's hand and started leading her to their room, up on the higher deck. "You can lay down there."

"You'll lay down with me, won't you?" She giggled. Naruto was beginning to wonder if this was really such a bad thing.

"Um..." He blushed. "Let's just get there first."

"Okay."

_Man, I wonder if I should tell her about tonight when she wakes up. _He thought with a laugh. _She'd probably die if she remembered half of the things she's said tonight._

They reached their room with no mishaps along the way, something Naruto was quite thankful for.

He decided to let Hinata change into something to sleep in, while he just put on some shorts instead of the pants he had been wearing. While he waited for Hinata, he wondered to himself why girls had to be dressed up to go to sleep. It made no sense to him.

He was relieved when she stepped out wearing pajamas. Simple, pink pajamas. He didn't quite know _why_ he felt so relieved, but he was anyway.

She immediately leaned into him, using his body for support. "I feel kinda weird... Well, I've felt this way before, but it only happened once."

"Uh... are you okay?" Naruto mumbled, he didn't know where this was going. And he was about to wish he never found out.

"Yeah, I had this feeling once when I read one of Jiraiya-sama's books." She looked up at the ceiling, thoughtfully. "It was very interesting, but I didn't really like it."

"Very... interesting..." Naruto's face turned blue. "You actually read an entire book?"

"Yeah, Tsunade-sama told me to. She said I should use its knowledge to get you, but it didn't work out that way, did it?" Hinata giggled happily. "Honestly, I hated it. But those dirty parts made me feel all..."

Naruto realized what was going on now. She was too drunk. "Oh man..." He gave up. "You're too innocent to be like this."

"Let's see..." She became very thoughtful for a moment, pushing a finger against her temple and concentrating very hard. "Where was I..."

Naruto wanted to go sulk in a corner. Hinata had been corrupted by the mischievous Tsunade and the perverted Jiraiya. And the worst part of it was, Tsunade was dead. He couldn't seek revenge, and if he kept ill feelings against her, he would dishonor her death, and therefore make his mission to avenge her meaningless.

He cursed inwardly, he couldn't even do anything to Jiraiya because those books were bringing Shugokage some extra cash, and apparently were paying the electricity bills for the whole of Waterfall village.

In all this thought, he seemed to remember something Jiraiya had told him long ago, during the early days of their training journey...

* * *

"Naruto." The old Sannin had said. "Do you know why men get women drunk?"

"For sex." The young blonde had answered without any real interest, knowing what Jiraiya's intentions probably were.

"Haha, yes, that is the common explanation. But there's an even more important reason."

At hearing this, Naruto's eyes widened in shock, then he eyed his master as a detective would eye a suspect. "There's something more important to _you_ than _sex_?"

"No." Jiraiya answered with a wink. "Listen up, this is important. When a woman is drunk, she will reveal her deepest secrets, her innermost desires. This wisdom, once in the hands of a man, grants infinite power. This knowledge is the key! Getting them drunk can serve two purposes: You have a fun night in a hotel room, _or_ you get their deepest secrets and use the _power_ of this knowledge. You can make the woman melt in your hands with it! A one-night-stand by getting them drunk, or weeks - maybe months - of sex by finding out what they want and giving it to them! It all depends on how you play your cards."

* * *

Back in the present, Naruto inwardly cursed Jiraiya. But there was something plaguing him now...

"You need to be more frisky in bed." That had been what she said, along with many, _many _other embarrassing things along the same lines. Was that her true deepest desire?

Naruto sighed. If there was one thing that he absolutely had to admit, but never, EVER wanted to, it was that Jiraiya was almost never wrong with this sort of thing.

"Er... Hinata?" He choked out, not really sure what he was going to say. Fortunately, he didn't need to say anything; she was asleep. He had to admit, she was pretty cute at that moment. She didn't usually sleep this peacefully, with such a joyful smile on her face. He guessed it as partly because the alcohol took her mind off the present.

"Isn't that how alcoholics become alcoholics...?" He wondered. "Drowning out their sorrows and all that..."

He made a mental note to _never_ let anything alcoholic get near her again, for fear of her becoming addicted. Fortunately, he had never fancied its taste himself, and he didn't think either of them would be able to appreciate a good hangover either.

After those thoughts, he decided it was time for sleep. He put Hinata in the bed, then got in himself. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. It felt almost like the first time all over again. After soaking in the wonderful feeling, and ignoring the fact that she was drunk like there's no tomorrow, he fell asleep. Not really wanting to know what would happen if she remembered all this when they woke up.

* * *

"Ah, Mei-chan!" Osanai smiled and waved. She was average height, reddish hair, green eyes, and he thought that while her chest was smallish, she was still pretty cute.

She gave him a friendly smile, and he could've sworn she blushed a little, but that was probably his imagination. "Osanai-san, are you looking for something?"

"You don't have to be so formal. We're the same age, after all." He laughed. "And yeah, do you guys have a place where I can train a little? A dojo, padded room, broom closet, anything will do."

She chuckled at his joke. "We have a dojo, follow me."

_Why am I being so friendly to this suspicious guy? _She growled at herself. _Just because he saved me?_

Osanai walked alongside her, studying her face. After a minute, he was able to tell more or less what she was thinking and put on his own semi-serious face. "If I'm right... you think I'm hiding something."

Mei's shock was clearly visible, her body stiffened for a split second, her eyes widened and she turned to look at him. She quickly recomposed herself though. "No, it's not that."

"You just don't trust me then."

"Don't be ridiculous!" She said with a smile. _What is this guy, a mind-reader?_

"I'll stop being ridiculous if you stop lying to me." He grinned. His trump card had been played, and she had gotten herself stuck in the game already.

"You're the one who's lying." Her smile vanished into thin air. "Well, I should say you're not telling the truth. My father worries so much about me, he completely trusts you. He doesn't care about your motives, he didn't even ask. And naturally, you didn't tell us."

"So to make up for his lack of judgment in a situation like this, you don't trust me?"

"That's about right." She nodded. "Something tells me you weren't really looking for the dojo, if you're this interested in whether I trust you or not."

"You're pretty sharp, I've got to admit that." Osanai kept his smile on. "I _was_ looking for the dojo." He half-lied. "But now I'd rather find out what's so suspicious about me."

_Oh, he's good. _Sasame chuckled to herself from the opposite side of the hall wall. She was standing outside, listening to their conversation. _A true master flirt, he's able to tell her that he wants to talk to her, without saying he wants to talk to her._

"Let's go sit down somewhere." The girl sighed and started walking down a different hall. "We can talk there."

Sasame cursed inwardly when she realized they were going in a direction she wouldn't be able to follow them. "Where are we going?" He asked, trying to catch up.

"The living area." She replied simply, turning and pointing through a door.

They sat down and Osanai got the conversation started. "Alright, ask me anything. I'll answer everything I can."

"What's your full name?" She got right down to business. She was going to find out what made him so suspicious if it was the last thing she did.

"Oroka Osanai." He replied flatly. "My family comes from a country where that _doesn't_ mean anything..."

She smiled and giggled, just barely, then caught her composure and continued the interrogation. "Where are you from?"

"I... can't tell you." He answered. "You're pretty good at asking questions I don't want to hear."

"And you want me to trust you?"

"I'm very sorry, but I really can't tell you." He explained. "I'm not a bad guy"

"How am I supposed to believe that?" She demanded. "You're not making a very good case."

Osanai sighed and looked at his lap. "I shouldn't really care whether you trust me. It's unprofessional. So why am I sitting here trying to explain myself?" He half-mumbled, half-whispered. "Just ask me what's really bothering you."

"Why did you save me?" The question was simple enough. "To get to my father's weapons, to look like a hero?"

"Huh...?" The boy was taken aback, "They were attacking you because of something you're not involved in. I didn't know what they would do to you, I don't want to know. How could I let them do that?"

"You didn't think I could take care of myself?"

"Not from where I was standing." He retorted. "You aren't even a part of that world."

She growled. "Yeah, but that doesn't explain why you helped me and got all chummy with my dad!"

"I helped you because I heard you scream!" He almost shouted. "And I'm just a chummy kind of guy, he offered to help me and I got excited. I thought I'd be out shopping around for a month before this happened."

"Well what do you need all those weapons for anyway?" She grinned. She knew he wouldn't be able to explain that one.

"I can't tell you that." He sighed and sank into the sofa, a convenience he rarely had a chance to experience. After a second, he stood up and shook the dust off his clothes. "I shouldn't even care if you trust me or not. Whatever, I guess I can't change your mind. So I'll just leave you alone until I have to disappear again."

She watched him walk to the door, and almost wanted to tell him to stop. She almost wanted to get to the bottom of this. But she let him go, and was content to ignore him until he left for good.

* * *

"S-Sasuke? He was here?" Ino's eyes widened. "Why are you telling _me?_"

"Because you're the only one I trust right now... Kiba and Neji are gone, Shikamaru wouldn't care, Lee would just do something weird and declare his love for me. I need someone to talk to." Sakura explained.

"Well... what did he say?"

"He said he was waiting for Naruto... and that was about it." She mumbled. "So I guess that means Neji was right, Naruto really is alive."

"Did he do that to your hand?" Ino asked, indicating Sakura's bandaged right hand.

"That's from when I hit him, I put everything I had into that punch. He was... scary. I couldn't think straight, just something about him seemed... evil. His killer intent, I've never felt anything like it before."

"How'd he hold up to your punch?" Ino asked, a little worried about her friend, who was so messed up after seeing Sasuke for the first time in years, and seeing him like this.

"He laughed..." Sakura sighed. "All of my strength, Tsunade's training, and all he got was a black eye."

"What are we going to do?" Ino asked. "I mean... there has to be something. Should we report it to the Hokage?"

"I don't know..." Sakura shook her head.

"I think we should, come on." Ino stood up and dragged Sakura out of the flower shop. They weren't getting any customers anyway, the shop wasn't as important as this.

"But..." Sakura stopped. There was really no reason to keep it secret, so why had she not told anyone until now, days later?

They got to the Hokage's office, it was bustling with activity. One of the ANBU walked by, saw them standing there and politely explained that the Hokage simply didn't have any time at the moment.

Upon being asked what was going on, he answered; "We've found out who killed Hyuuga Hiashi-sama. It was apparently an assassin specially trained for fighting against a Hyuuga's talents."

"An assassin from where?" Ino asked.

"At the moment, we believe the attack was administrated by a few of the villages that disagree with our pre-emptive strike against Waterfall. It looks like these negations won't stay negations much longer."

"So you're saying... the declaration of war against us from Stone... It's not a _talking_ war anymore?" Ino muttered. "It's a real war now?"

The ANBU nodded. "It looks that way. The Hokage will be holding a conference later today to relay the news, but please don't tell anyone until then. It's not a secret or anything, but we just think it's best if the citizens found out directly from the Hokage."

* * *

"We found it." Kiba declared with a wide grin. "Hinata's scent is soaked into every square inch of this place. Along with two others. This is definitely the place she stayed for those ten months up until the point that I found them. We can barely smell Naruto's scent here, so he probably didn't spend nearly as much time in this place. But we already knew that, since he had been trained by that guy from Rain for so long."

"So, do you think this is a missing-nin's home?" Neji asked, looking around. "I don't see anything that stands out."

"Well, the thing is. When that guy told me Hinata was training, he didn't exactly she was training under two _ninjas_." Kiba meekly explained. "He said 'two women'. We don't even know if a ninja lives here, or ever did."

"Who else would she train under but a ninja?" Hanabi asked them.

"She has a point." Neji agreed. "So that brings us back to the last question, was it the mysterious missing-nin that Gaara mentioned?"

"I don't know, but I can tell that Hinata and Naruto both left right after I saw them. One of the other two scents probably left a few days later. Then the most prominent one, probably the one that lives here, seems to have left a few weeks, maybe a month or two later."

"Hinata was traveling with two women when we captured her. I was ordered to kill them, but I didn't." Neji pondered. "I wonder if they're the same ones that you can smell here."

_I think I've got something here._ Akamaru whined and scratched at a door.

"Akamaru's found something." Kiba translated and opened the door.

"Wow... that's a lot of books." Hanabi gasped. There were books everywhere, not organized at all. It looked like there had been a hurricane inside the room.

Neji picked up a few books, one at a time, and read the covers. "They're all on Genjutsu and medical science and techniques. I guess this is what Hinata was learning."

"Genjutsu and medical stuff?" Kiba wondered. "Why'd she train in that stuff?"

"Who knows? We'll just have to ask her ourselves." Hanabi told him. "But for now, what else do you think this house can tell us?"

"Not a whole lot." Kiba groaned. "It looks like whoever was here last left in a big hurry, it wasn't planned, so there's probably nothing to tell us where they went."

"Okay then." Neji stated. "We're going to check the remains of Waterfall next."

"Why's that?" Kiba wondered.

"That's the last place I saw them before we captured Hinata." Neji explained reluctantly. "Lee and I saw them, but we didn't tell anyone. I think Kakashi figured it out anyway."

"You didn't tell me!" Kiba growled. "Why not?"

"Because it was an embarrassing defeat." Neji Whispered.

"You fought them?" Kiba and Hanabi said in unison, gasping and staring at Neji.

"They managed to beat Lee and I in only a few minutes. We underestimated them."

"Hinata? She was never a kind of fighter that could take you or Lee on even if you did underestimate her. Did Naruto do most of the fighting?"

Neji shook his head. "No. Actually, after seeing all these Genjutsu books, the fight makes a little more sense now."

"What are you talking about?" Kiba wondered. "She used Genjutsu?"

"Not just _any _Genjutsu." Neji replied slowly. "What she did was almost scary, at least ANBU level. She was able to make herself completely invisible. Lee... didn't stand a chance."

"Hinata... she beat one of Konoha's top Jounin?" Kiba's eyes widened to the point that Neji feared they would fall out. "How?"

"To tell you the truth, it's very simple." Neji stated with a sigh. "She was with Naruto, that's the answer. We already know he inspires confidence and changes of heart in people. And probably much more so for Hinata."

"Why would Hinata be any more special?" Hanabi asked.

Neji chuckled. "Hanabi-sama. Ever since she was young, Hinata-sama has been in love with Naruto. It's probably a good thing your father never found out, knowing his distaste for him."

"She... loves him?" Hanabi's eyes widened this time. Now a whole lot more made sense to her. "Why?"

"To tell the truth, I don't know." Neji answered. "Maybe she can see something nobody else can. Or maybe it's just a sign of defiance against Hiashi-sama for treating her badly. It is possible to love out of spite, and either way, her feelings were always real."

* * *

The electronic whine of a voice over the ship's PA system buzzed to life.

_"We're sorry for any inconvenience. That turbulence was due to a wave coming from the ocean. The weather seems to be a bit rough, so we'll be taking a longer route avoiding any more danger. Once again, we're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you."_

After the announcement had been made, Naruto's eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness.

"Dammit..." He rubbed his head. That wave had thrown them both out of their bed, and he seemed to have gotten the worst of it, considering the fact that Hinata landed on top of him. "You okay, Hinata?"

"Yeah..." She moaned, probably still half-asleep. "I don't think I'll be traveling by ship much in the future, though."

Upon opening her eyes, she smiled. "But... this isn't so bad."

It wasn't just an accident anymore, she was _intentionally_ pressing herself on top of him. He wasn't sure what to think of it anymore, was she teasing him? Did she want him to do something? After the drunken "revelation" from the previous night, he didn't know how to make heads or tails of situations like this.

"Umm... Hinata, about last night." He laughed nervously.

"Last... night..." She thought back for a moment. When she seemed to remember what had happened, she blushed and let out a yelp, jumping off of him. "Did I really say those crude and embarrassing things?"

"Ummm..." He sat up and continued with the nervous laughter. "Yeah... That guy messed up your order. You got alcohol instead of... whatever you actually ordered."

"A-alcohol?" She stared at him for a moment, then continued with her panic attack. "Alcohol kills brain cells! Shuuzen told me that herself! What will I do?"

"I think you'll survive after just one drink..." Naruto laughed. "Tsunade... wait, that's a bad example... Jirai- worse example... Um... Sandaime! I'm sure he drank every now and then!"

"You're sure?" Hinata murmured meekly.

"Yeah," Naruto affirmed. "He must have, to deal with that grandson of his."

Hinata let out a sigh of relief. "Okay..."

"But..." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Did you _mean_ all the stuff you said last night?"

Hinata's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Umm..." she looked to the left. "Errr..." She turned to the right. "Bathroom!" She ran toward the bathroom.

"Wait, answer the question!" Naruto, being his clueless self, called after her.

She stopped in her tracks and turned around. Still glowing red, she sat down beside him. "I _really _didn't enjoy that book... But... the things in it didn't seem bad..."

"Bah?" He nearly fell over.

"No!" She yelped. "Not- not _that_. _That's_ for _after_ I'm married. I just meant some of the... other... things..."

Naruto was getting dizzy. "Hinata-chan... corrupted by Jiraiya and Tsunade. I should have known it would come to this."

"But, I mean. If you think we should wait then that's fine!" She shouted in disbelief that she had actually said that while she was _sober_.

"Well..." Naruto thought for a moment. "I did travel with Jiraiya for a few years, did you think I wasn't corrupted too?"

"You read one?" Hinata's eyes shot open.

"Well... no." He admitted. "I did have to _hear_ all about it though. And with Jiraiya's voice acting and hand gestures... I think I might've had it worse."

The PA system whined back to life before she could respond to that revelation. _"Excuse me, passengers. We seem to be about to go through a large storm. Unfortunately, the lighthouse on the shore is not functioning and we cannot find our bearings. Because of these conditions, we are unable to turn back to port."_

"That doesn't sound good." Naruto stared at the speaker.

_"Please take the emergency precautions covered in the manual found on the back of your cabin door. In the event that anyone is to fall overboard, refrain from drastic decisions and alert a crew member immediately."_

"Forget what I sad before." Naruto jumped to his feet. "That sounds _very bad_."

_"We ask that you please remain calm. Do not leave your cabins unless directed otherwise. If you are on the deck, please return to your cabin or to the nearest specified safe zone."_

"Forget that too." He turned on the light and pulled on some pants. A quick glance at the tabletop clock told him that it was already two hours after sunrise. "How fast can you get dressed?"

* * *

**End of Chapter Thirty-One**

Revised on 12/22/2011


	32. Crippled Love

(This is one of my favorite chapters)

**- Crippled Love -**

* * *

"You okay? You seem quieter than usual." Sasame observed. "Anything wrong?"

"No, I'm fine." Osanai returned with a smile. "I'm just trying not to care."

"That girl?" She asked. "The one who doesn't trust you?"

"Like I said, trying _not_ to care." He said jokingly. "Besides, we'll just disappear in a few days anyway. She'll never see me again, I'll never see her. That just solves a problem for both of us."

"You really like her, don't you?"

"What are you talking about?" He looked like he had just choked on something furry. "She's cute, but all I've gotten from her is fake smiles and loads of grief. She hasn't shown me anything to like."

"Why are you getting all worked up, anyway?" Sasame smiled knowingly.

"I'm just not used to being suspected of anything." He explained rationally. "I've been the guy in charge for years, nobody would question me, everything I said would get done instantly. It's just a really harsh change in scenery for me."

"That's the logical explanation." She nodded. "Maybe you're right."

"I _am _right." He stated and picked up a small bag. "I'm going to go check on something. A personal errand, I'll be back in an hour or two."

He walked out the sliding door, not bothering to close it behind him. "Man... this is really bothering him." She sighed and closed it herself. "But maybe it really isn't because of Mei."

Osanai walked down the street at a normal, leisurely pace. "They said it would be in the eastern part of town, near the business district..."

Soon enough, he found the place he was looking for, a set of buildings whose ornate decorations stood out from the rest. The Kedamono gang's headquarters.

"Why did I even come here?" He mumbled at himself. He had come to find out if they were planning another assault on Mei, and he knew it. But he didn't want to admit it.

"Well, let's see..." He stepped lightly around the side of the biggest building. He was lucky enough to find a window after a few minutes, and he could hear voices inside.

"Who do you think punk kid was?" A man asked.

"He was strong." Another man, this voice much more familiar. "My subordinates and I didn't stand a chance. I think we were lucky to get out alive."

"Then you're quite useless, aren't you?" Another voice, which sounded just like a rich mob boss, asked sinisterly. "Why do I need you if some brat almost killed you anyway."

"No, please allow me to re-explain." He begged. "I merely meant that he is no normal boy."

"Well, this much we can tell." The mob boss told the group. "Don't point out the obvious."

"Please forgive me."

"Yes, yes... anyway, it's time we thought up a better plan. Catching Mei-chan in a dark alley didn't work out too well did it, boys?"

There was no response.

"Yes... Any ideas?"

Osanai heard something behind him. Breathing and shuffling feet. He slowly reached into his bag and pulled out two shuriken. They were some of the last ones he had left, and he intended to make good use of them.

Any experienced fighter would be able to evade or block the shuriken - to some extent - since Osanai would have to throw blindly. But the purpose of a shuriken in this situation isn't to injure or kill, but to force the enemy to hesitate. Those two seconds of time they would take to jump away or block the sharp blades would give him two more seconds to gain the upper hand.

Getting a firm hold on them between his fingers, he turned and let them fly.

He managed to get a look at his assailant, but it was too late. There was no fighter, not even a lame henchman. His eyes shot open in shock as he realized what was just about to happen. "Mei!"

It was far too late for him to do anything. One of the randomly thrown shuriken dug deep into in her shoulder, the other one flew harmlessly by and embedded itself partially in a wooden wall.

She looked utterly horrified as she grasped her left shoulder. He could see blood soaking through her dress and seeping through her fingers. "You... you work for Kedamono? Is that why you're here?" She demanded.

"M-Mei? What are you doing here? It's dangerous." He whispered. But his shout from before had given them both away.

"Who's out there?" he heard a voice from the other side of the glass window. "It's the girl! And that kid that nailed us!"

Osanai cursed and jumped away from the window. Acting on instinct and years of training, he grabbed the frightened girl and ducked into an alley to recuperate and think about what he would do to get out of here.

"Let go of me!" She managed to free herself from his arm, but only bent her own into an awkward position that made more blood ooze from her wound. She winced and leaned against a wall.

"Mei... why are you here?" He asked, half-panicking as he peeked around the corner, watching for any Kedamono henchmen. None yet, but he knew that would only last a few more seconds, maybe a minute.

"Why are _you _here?" She countered.

Osanai turned back to her. "Mei, this really isn't the time. If you're ever going to trust me, then now's the time. I need to get you out of here fast. Really fast."

"I can still run on my own." She squinted her eyes suspiciously. However, the boy looked so different than he had before. At that moment, she thought that he looked terrified.

"Don't argue now!" He was starting to panic even more. "I don't know if I can protect you against an army of these guys. We have to get out of here, now!" He reached out for her good arm.

"I still have legs." She growled.

"Your heart will race and you won't stop bleeding. Eventually you'll pass out, maybe die!" He shouted and grabbed her. "Sorry, but you're being really stubborn."

"Ow!" She squealed. "My arm! Let go!"

"I can't! Just try not to move too much."

He jumped onto a wall and bounced off it, onto the roof above. Within seconds they were flying over gaps between buildings. And it was just in time.

"They're up there!" He heard someone yell. "Get them while she's injured."

"Crap, where can we hide?" He asked. She could tell he was starting to panic now.

"O-Osanai... I'm getting a little dizzy. My arm... hurts..."

He looked down for a split second to see what was wrong. The dark fluid had soaked her dress and his shirt. "W-Wha? You're bleeding way too much! It must've hit an artery or something!" He cursed again. "I can't believe it... this is all my fault."

"You don't have time to be feeling guilty, kid." Came a voice from behind him.

"What?" He turned his head around a bit to see just how much trouble he was in. "How did you get up here?"

"I have a little training too, you know." The man grinned. "You won't be able to get away with that girl in your arms. Drop her and save your own life."

"No!" He yelled back. "You're underestimating me, just like your friend did."

The man's eyes widened as the teenage boy accelerated to a speed that he just couldn't keep up with. He knew it was pointless to try to chase him now. "Damn, everyone stand down. We'll have to regroup later and come up with a plan."

It was only a few minutes before Osanai reached the western side of the city, and the Abunai main building. He didn't bother to open the door, it would take too long. He just barreled through it. "ABUNAI-SAMA!"

Several members of the Abunai group populated the halls, and they all stared as the strange savior of their boss's beloved daughter carried the same girl in his arms, both of their clothes partially soaked in blood.

"A doctor!" He yelled as he dashed past them. "She needs a doctor!"

He crashed through the boss's door, this time opening it properly, as it was a heavy hinged door rather than a sliding one with paper windows.

The men that were assembled in the room all turned to stare at the boy, he had jumped in on a meeting. But that didn't matter, and he knew it wouldn't matter to her father either. "Abunai-sama, Mei is- She needs a doctor!"

The man stood up quickly to see what was going on. Once he had a clear view across the room, he gasped. "Mei-chan!"

One of his business partners jumped to his feet. "We need to take her to the hospital!" Osanai was surprised that the stranger would give more priority to the girl than their meeting.

"Moving her to a hospital probably isn't a good idea." Osanai stated. "We can't move her too much."

Another man stood up. "Then the hospital will come here! You," he pointed at one of the other men. "Make the call, tell them that it's my personal order. And you," He pointed at Osanai. "Lay her down on Abunai-kun's desk."

Osanai did as ordered and stood back. "Are you a doctor?"

"I'm the hospital director." He answered. "I'm slightly out of practice, but I can at least help until the specialists get here."

"The hospital director?" Osanai was impressed. He turned to the girl's father. "Who are all these people?"

"They're all friends and business associates of mine." He explained with a smile. "Kenmaru-san is the hospital administrator, Makou-san is an attorney, Shirai-san is the secondary chief of police, the rest are various businessmen from around the country."

"And... why are they all helping?"

"Mei is well-loved around here. She's very popular, just about everyone in the city knows her."

"Excuse me, Osanai-san right?" One of the men walked up to him. "I'm Makou Yorishou. If you don't mind, could we step outside?"

"Sure." Osanai nodded. Everything was too confusing at the moment. "Why do you need me out here?" He asked once they were back in the hall.

"You might want to explain this all right now before the Kedamono gang is able to start spreading rumors." He answered. "I'm Abunai-san's attourney, and I can tell you now that they will do something to spread lies about what happened."

"Explain?" Osanai's eyes widened. This was not going to be a story he wanted to tell over and over again. But he knew he would have to.

* * *

**"**And... that's it." He had told every minute detail.

"Hmm..." The lawyer stroked his chin. "This is a bad situation, politically speaking. You were caught spying on them, and they can say you're associated with us for the simple fact that she was with you."

"But I attacked her, how could I be tied to you if that's the case?"

"They'll conveniently forget about that part. Or they might use it to their advantage somehow." The man explained. "The Kedamono gang is more underhanded than the Abunai group."

Osanai didn't want to think of that. "Will she be okay?"

"Kenta-san is too modest." Mako smiled. "He's very skilled, but he's telling the truth that his skill has dulled slightly from neglect... but I'm no doctor, I could be wrong."

Just then, both of them were nearly trampled by an EMS team. A few men dressed in hospital scrubs ran past, wheeling various surgical tools and medical equipment and a wheeled hospital bed. Most of which – even the bed - had wires and electronic knobs that Osanai couldn't make heads or tails of. "You guys are high-tech. I was born in a ninja village where we didn't use medical technology as much. We had people trained is special healing techniques."

"Technology is the normal person's ninjutsu." The man responded. "Each method, either ninja techniques or technology, has its own advantages and disadvantages."

"You guys take over now." They heard Kenta, the hospital administrator, tell the emergency team. When he stepped outside, he looked at Osanai and Makou.

"Will she be okay?" Osanai asked quickly.

"She'll live, if that's what you're asking." The doctor told him, then held up the shuriken that Osanai had thrown. "But these shuriken can do a lot more damage than most people would think. I have my best surgeons and specialists are here, they'll do the best job they can to close the artery and patch up the wound."

Osanai leaned onto the wall for support, his legs felt like they'd give out at any moment. "I can't believe I caused all this..."

A few hours went by, most of the businessmen went home or back to work, but Osanai didn't move.

"I'm hungry... and I'm tired..." He sighed and turned to look at the closed door. "But I don't want to leave."

"Osanai, why are you so depressed?" Sasame asked the boy and sat down across from him, leaning on the opposite wall.

"It's all my fault." He replied. "I'm even the one that attacked her."

She smiled a little. "Don't get all worked up, these doctors are supposed to be the best in the country."

The door finally opened, one of the men dressed in scrubs stepped out and handed Osanai a sheet of paper. With a quick glance, he noticed that there was a lot of information on it. "What's this?"

"Kenta-san said you were worried, he wanted me to give you a copy of the report when we were done."

Without thinking twice, Osanai began scanning the words like they could save his own life.

"We'll be finishing it all up for a few minutes, you'll be able to come inside in about half an hour." The doctor walked back into the room and closed the door.

"What's it say?" Sasame asked.

Osanai scanned the page, most of it was useless political or legal information, or suggested treatments. But whenever he came across something of meaning, he would read it out loud.

"Damaged muscle fiber... Two ligaments cut... The shuriken changed direction after it hit her shoulder, and went slightly toward the inner chest. That caused some arterial damage... The only thing they were able to fix properly was the artery..." He dropped the paper. "I don't know what the rest means, except that they couldn't fix them all the way. It doesn't even say whether or not they'll heal."

"Ligaments... they probably reconnected them, but they heal slowly..." Sasame told him. "The muscles might, or might not heal all the way."

"That sounds like the kind of stuff I should know..." He laughed, this time at himself. "I wonder if Hinata could have healed her better..."

"Who knows?" Sasame shrugged.

The next half hour ticked by slowly, but the door eventually opened again. Most of the medical team left, taking their equipment and bed back to the hospital. One of them stopped in front of Osanai. "She's awake... Kenta-san will explain the rest."

Osanai and Sasame walked into the room. Mei was standing next to her father with her left arm hanging in a sling. While Sasame offered her a supportive smile, Osanai desperately avoided eye contact.

"There's good news and bad news." Kenta stated. "In my line of work, there's always a little of both. The good news is that she'll obviously live, seeing as how she's awake and standing right now."

"And the bad news?" Osanai muttered.

"In a nutshell..." He sighed sadly. "She'll never regain full use of her arm. And for the next few months, she'll have a hard time even moving it. We had to remove parts of the damaged muscle, and what we took out can't grow back, and her arm will be weak because of that."

"And if I hadn't thrown the shuriken in the first place, we wouldn't be having this conversation." Osanai told them. "You're saying she's lucky? If it had hit almost anywhere else, there wouldn't be any permanent damage."

"I'm not exactly ecstatic about my daughter becoming crippled, but I can't hold it against you." The man said. "You've saved her once, twice if you count this time as well."

"Hold me responsible, I'll do my best to make up for it... but for now..." He turned around, unable to face her father's kind words. "You'll find me... somewhere."

They watched him walk out the door. Sasame sighed. "He's really messed up over this. To tell the truth, I've never seen him so depressed."

Mei's head dropped. "I can't believe it... I'm so stupid."

"Why?" Sasame asked. "You didn't do anything, did you?"

"I thought he was a bad guy." She shook her head. "But all he ever did was try to help me. I think... I think I need to apologize."

Sasame nodded and stepped away from the door. Mei gave her a smile and walked through in search of Osanai.

She didn't even need to travel five meters to find him. There he was, just around the first corner, sitting down, leaning against the wall with his face pointing toward the ground. She leaned against the wall and carefully slid down next to him.

"You knew I was heading for the exit." He deduced. "I obviously didn't make it all the way there."

She was silent, wondering what else he would say, if he even did at all. Part of the reason for this was the fact that she didn't know what to say herself.

"I think you were right..." He chuckled lightly. "I couldn't bring myself to go any farther down the hallway than this... not without saying something to her. I just don't know _what_ I want to say."

She realized that the young man hadn't looked at her face. There were only two people here who could be referred to as "her": Sasame and herself. _Does he think I'm Sasame? _"Well... say anything."

She could tell his body tensed a little bit. "That voice..." He looked up. "Mei... chan."

She laughed a little, a real laugh. But she quieted down a little when she saw his expression, and the rest of his face. He was obviously shocked into silence, but his eyes were red. _Was he... crying?_

"I..." He managed to make a noise come from his mouth. "I didn't think..."

She laughed again. "What, you're so shocked to see me?"

He had managed to compose himself by now, and quickly wiped off his face. "That's not it... I just didn't think you'd want to talk to me. You didn't want to before."

"I'm sorry." She said, giving him a small smile. "I thought I understood you. But look where that got me. You're not who I thought you were."

"Umm..." He was speechless for a few seconds. "You don't need to apologize for anything..."

"I don't anymore." She laughed for the third time.

He had honestly never heard her laugh before, and he had to admit it was a cute laugh, sort of a happy giggle.

"Let's go find another room to talk in." She said, this time Osanai was sure he could see a blush. "I think you deserve it."

"I deserve it?" He asked with a forced sarcastic tone as he stood up. "Oh, so it's a privilege to talk to you?"

"As a matter of fact, yes it is." She joked.

Sasame peeked through the door to see what was going on. To her surprise, she saw Osanai and Mei walking together down the hall, both laughing lightly, even though Osanai's expression was still troubled. "Wow..."

"What is it?" Mei's father asked.

"They're friendly..." She pulled her head back into the room and blinked a few times. "So... at first she pretty much hates him, from what I can tell, then he almost kills her and she's all happy and giggly? I think now I understand why boys always say we're so confusing..."

"It's good that she's back to herself." Kenta smiled. "Abunai-san had said she was acting more distant than usual."

* * *

"How's your arm feel?"

"It's not bad... not good, but not bad" She shrugged her good shoulder. "But I'm not mad, Kenta-san said it would get better."

"Thanks." He grinned, relieved. They were sitting on the same couch as the day before. Back then, she had drilled him and told him she didn't trust him. But today they were somehow enjoying it. "So what did they do?"

"I don't know, I was asleep for most of it." She explained. "But when I woke up, my shoulder didn't hurt as much, and it was stitched up. They told me you carried me here and exploded into my father's meeting."

"Yeah. I didn't really know what else to do. It was all I could do to help you..." He sighed. "But I can't stop feeling guilty for doing this to you."

"You shouldn't feel bad. This injury might have actually saved my life." She had a grateful smile and a soft look in her eyes as she said it. "When I followed you there, I didn't realize how deep into their territory we were. They could have gotten me before you did if your reflexes weren't so good, it would have just been a matter of time."

"I still could have handled it better." He groaned.

"That might be true, but it's not what happened. You can feel bad about it, but don't blame yourself."

"Thanks, Mei." He smiled happily, and feared that tears would start forming in his eyes. "That means a lot..."

* * *

Later that night, he and Sasame were forced to sleep in the same guest room – of course there were separate beds.

"What do I do now?" He groaned at Sasame. "You're smart, help me here."

"So it's true what Naruto says about you: Your name does fit!" She teased. "What's the problem?"

"We'll be leaving as soon as we get the weapons. Then we'll just be gone."

"I'm sure you can come visit her." Sasame smiled at him from across the room.

He only shook his head, ignoring the fact that Sasame had so easily figured out what was bugging him. "I'm only able to excuse myself from the village when I'm on Shugokage business."

She thought for a moment and sighed. "I'm going to be realistic here: There's nothing you can do. You two live in separate worlds."

"I know..."

* * *

Osanai went out to an open stand for breakfast that morning. He was hoping he'd be able to be alone and think about everything that had happened. He wanted to know what to do about his feelings for Mei, and he wanted to know what he should do to make it all up to her and her father.

"Osanai?" Came a very familiar voice. "Hey, mind if I eat with you?"

She sat down with a smile. By now he didn't have a choice in the matter, but that didn't mean he _knew_ he didn't have a choice. "I'm a little busy right now, Mei."

"Oh... I guess I'll just go." She faked another smile. "See you later."

After walking off a bit, she turned around. He wasn't doing anything, not even eating. How could he just brush her off like that, all she wanted to do was talk to him.

She hadn't realized how long she had been looking at him before Sasame walked up to her. "What's wrong?" She asked, making the other girl jump. She followed Mei's eyes to the stand Osanai was sitting in. "Osanai? What's going on?"

"I want to talk to him..." She responded honestly, "It's comfortable, you know? I feel like everything's normal when I talk to him. But when he's not there, all I can think about is how my whole life has changed, and I don't know what to do. I don't want to think about that."

"You like him?" Sasame sighed. This whole trip had been so ridiculous.

"Yeah... all of a sudden..." She confessed, straight and honest. "But he's acting like he doesn't want to talk to me."

"That's because he doesn't want to talk to you." Sasame answered bluntly. "He doesn't want to get attached, since we have to leave. And he hasn't said it himself, but..." She thought for a moment, deciding both how she should word it and if she should even say it at all. "He wants to make it up to you... But there's nothing we can do for that because... well, you know."

"Yeah... you two leave, and then I'll never see him again." She said with a heavy sigh as her expression shifted. A tear threatened to take form in the corner of her eye. "Does it have to be that way? I don't want him to leave..."

"I know what it feels like." Sasame turned to look at the ground. "I fell in love with a boy who came to train with my family. His name was Naruto, and he was very much like Osanai, they're actually good friends."

"What happened with Naruto?" Mei asked hopefully, pleading in her mind for a happy ending, one that would imply that there was any chance.

"He left after a while." She answered. "Then he came back a few years later. I thought it was my chance, I thought that I'd be able to tell him how I felt. But I found out that he was in love with another girl. I even wound up helping him tell her his feelings, in a way. Now I just wait... and hope."

"Hope that someone else will come into your life?"

Sasame chuckled lightly at that. "No, you've got it all wrong. I know it won't ever happen, those two are too in love with each other. But I wait for something to happen, hoping that I'll have another chance with him. I can't imagine myself with anyone but him."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"No." Sasame smiled. "It's supposed to say that if I can still hope, even when I see him with her every day, then you can have hope too. And you've got a better chance than I ever will."

"You're saying this... just because you think I _love _him..." Mei stated quietly. "All I said was-"

"But you really _do_ love him, don't you?" She interrupted. "Even if it's only been one day since you started talking to him, even if all he's ever done for you is hurt you, you can fall in love with anyone."

"I..." Mei shook her head, the tear that had been hanging shook loose and rolled down her cheek. "I..."

* * *

Another day passed, hardly anyone got any sleep at night for various reasons. In the morning, the head of the Abunai family greeted them with news of a weapons shipment specifically for them. How it had been compiled so fast, he refused to tell. Osanai gladly paid for the equipment and Abunai-san took him to the storehouse with a huge smile on his face.

"This is..." Osanai's and Sasame's eyes were the size of their own fists. "At least twice as much as I asked for..."

"The rest is payment." The man said with a hearty smile.

"For what?"

"Well, let me start from the beginning." The old man became a little more serious. "You told me that I had to hold you responsible for Mei's current condition."

"Yes..." Osanai sighed.

"I've decided how I should do that, and then some." He grinned even more widely. "You must agree to my terms before I give you your weapons."

"What do you want?" Osanai was willing to do just about anything to get such a stockpile. He had only paid a quarter of what this quantity of equipment should cost.

"Firstly. You must make sure that Mei is safe from future harm, indefinitely. Second, the extra stuff here is payment for some guards. Nothing special, I don't need any of your Jounin or anything. I just figured a few real ninjas around to defend this place wouldn't hurt. Wouldn't you agree, Hero of Waterfall village?"

"Eh?" Osanai was struck dumb for several seconds.

"Honestly, who would hear a name like 'Oroka Osanai' and _not_ want to look it up." He laughed. "So, in order to get the weapons you've paid for, you must allow Mei to live in your village. If it were anyone but you, I know it would be impossible. And of course, for the extra stuff that's in here, you have to send ten chuunin to help us here. I will continue with bi-monthly payments for as long as I need your men."

Osanai had partially regained use of his brain after the shock had worn off. "You must have the wrong guy, Waterfall village is gone."

"Don't start with that, if your village is half as competent as you are then I'm sure they were able to survive that attack."

Osanai was about to argue back when Sasame kicked his leg. "Let's consult over there." She pointed outside. When they got out of the others' earshot, she grinned. "Look at it. Your villagers will have jobs again, your village will have a steady supply of weapons and equipment, and _she_ will be there too."

Osanai thought for a minute. "Yeah... wait, what are you getting at with that last part?"

When they returned to the storehouse, Abunai was patiently waiting with the merchandise. Osanai accepted all his terms, and the man had the weapons loaded onto a mule-drawn cart for the trip to Waterfall while he sent Osanai and Sasame to get Mei.

"Mei-chan?" He asked as he walked into the living room. She seemed to be just going out the door he had walked in. He wanted to be a little dramatic. "I got everything I need... I guess I have to leave now."

"Yeah..." She looked at the floor. "I... I'll miss you..."

"I guess this would be goodbye..." He played his part, turning and heading out the door.

"But it's not." Sasame grinned as she peeked inside. "You can come with us if you want to. Your father is making Osanai make sure you'll be safe from now on."

Osanai paused, smiled and turned around again, to look at the girl. "You'll come, won't you?"

* * *

**End of Chapter Thirty-Two**

****Revised on 12-22-2011


	33. He Who Commands the Wind

**- He Who Commands the Wind -**

* * *

"Hinata?" Naruto mumbled while looking off the bow of the ship into the ocean. There were dark storm clouds, high waves and ominous lightning strikes. "That doesn't look very good, does it?"

"No..." She shook her head.

"It's bad, all right." A deep, throaty voice said. "I haven't seen a storm like that in years. Wouldn't be surprised if we didn't all make it back to shore."

"Can't we turn around?" Hinata spun around to see who was talking. He seemed to be in his fifties, grey hair, grey eyes and a rough, weathered expression. He was staring over the rails too, almost mesmerized by the sight.

"No, this ship isn't fast enough." He answered, as if it didn't matter at all. "But man..." he whistled. "That's one hell of a storm, if we didn't have so many passengers I would probably want to sail into it for fun. But I've had more than my share of adventures, I retired from the dangerous stuff and just decided to ferry rich tourists around... but of course, this has to happen on my first civilian trip."

"Are you the captain of the ship?" Hinata asked. He seemed to be saying something to that extent. "Isn't there anything you can do?"

"I am, yes... but to be honest, there isn't much I can do." He said as he shook his head. "Nature is much stronger than I am."

"You have to do something!" She almost yelled. "There are hundreds of people here, you're jeopardizing them all! If there's anything, anything at all that you can do. Even if it doesn't get us out, you should at least do something to avoid the worst of it."

He looked at her for a few seconds, neither of them could read the man's expression. All they could tell was that he might have been considering what she said. "I could change course, turn westward. The storm is heading southeast - which is somewhat rare. With any luck, we'd only hit the outer edges of it."

"So why don't you do that?" Hinata wondered aloud. It made perfect sense to her.

"Because I don't like being lost at sea." He became more serious. "I'm sure nobody else here would like it either."

"But you can find your position using the stars." Hinata pointed upward. "Isn't that true?"

"Who knows how long it will take for the overcast to clear up?" He countered. "And many areas of the northern sea are dangerous, because of uncharted currents. We have a better chance with the storm, if you ask me. This ship is designed for rough weather, we probably wouldn't even be blown off course too far."

"So the ship will survive?" Naruto spoke up with a thoughtful look. "What are you so worried about then?"

"People are stupid." The captain said with a sigh. "Many of them won't stay in their cabins, I don't understand why. Even I, a thrill-seeking sailor, knew better than that back in my day."

"There's a wave coming!" Someone shouted. Naruto, Hinata and the unnamed captain turned back and looked outward at the ocean. A couple of miles out to sea, they could see a large swell moving outward from the clouded area.

The captain's eyes shifted as he measured the wave and made a few calculations. "It's going to hit within a minute." He sighed. "Maybe once they have a taste, they'll come to their senses and lock themselves up in their cabins. The same goes for you two."

"What about the cabins below the deck?" Hinata challenged. "They're in more danger than the rest of us, it could flood their rooms."

"That's what the designated safe zones are for. Passengers below-decks will all be huddled into the galley and a few other places. Passengers in the upper decks should stay in their cabins. Of course, all this is optional. I don't run a slave ship."

By now, more and more people were gathering to watch the incoming wave. The ones that had been on decks at first were being pushed against the rail, as were Naruto, Hinata and the captain.

"Everyone step away from the guardrail!" The captain shouted. "There are safety nets in place in case someone falls overboard, but I don't want to see anyone in them."

They didn't listen. He only shook his head and muttered under his breath. "Any second now..."

Naruto and Hinata looked out at the ocean and gasped in awe. "That's almost as tall as the ship..."

"We're going to get a little wet." The old sea dog chuckled. "I hope it scares some sense into these people. Even though once we're in the storm, we won't actually run into many waves like that one."

"A little wet?" Naruto asked before it hit. "That might be a little understatement."

"I don't mind a little water." The captain shrugged. "The hatches are all sealed by now, so the interior won't get wet..."

Hinata could have sworn she heard him chuckle again before the wave hit. At that point, all sound was drowned out by the water crashing over the deck. It pulled her a little, but it didn't have enough force to knock her over. It passed over then and continued on after it had crashed through the ship.

They all let out a sigh of relief after it was over. But the captain just mumbled some more. That's when the scary part happened, the entire ship dropped ten feet into the water. Several people toppled over onto each other as they lost balance, a few of them even screamed.

"The boat was pulled up on top of the surge when the wave passed trough us." The captain explained to Naruto and Hinata, who looked just as confused as everyone else. "When it's all gone, the boat falls back down to normal sea level. It doesn't do any real damage, but it can stress the hull. And it knocks down stupid tourists." He said, pointing over to some of the people who had fallen.

"Help!" Someone cried.

"What now?" The old man sighed and pushed his way through the crowd. The two ninjas followed close behind. When they got to the source of the scream, they found a boy, probably eleven years old or so, dangling from the edge of the safety net and holding onto the ropes with one hand as the rest of him hung twenty feet from the surface of the water. And before they could tell him to hold on, his grip loosened around the ropes, letting him freefall down toward the ocean.

"Crap!" Naruto jumped on the rail and prepared to dive after the boy, but someone else was ahead of him. Another boy, around Naruto and Hinata's age, had already jumped in after the kid. They both splashed into the sea and everyone waited for them to come up.

When the blue-haired teenager's head popped up over the surface, next to a smiling eleven-year-old's, everyone let out a collective sigh. Then something interesting happened that caught Naruto's and Hinata's attention: he pulled himself on top of the water and stood up, waving at the crowd who were now cheering for him. Someone threw down a rope for them to climb up as Hinata watched the whole show carefully.

She shook her head and turned to Naruto, who had jumped back onto the deck. "A fall from that distance... they came up too quickly." She whispered and looked toward the 'hero' in the center of the crowd. "Something is strange... it's as if he barely even went under the water's surface."

Naruto had a slightly better idea of what was going on. _Kyuubi... was that what it looked like? _

**You didn't do it? **The demon seemed genuinely surprised. **But that should be impossible for anyone else...**

_I guess not. _He turned to Hinata and nodded. "Yeah, he's a little suspicious..."

"Do you know something I don't?" She asked.

"I can't explain it..." Naruto shook his head. "But... the water pushed him back up."

"Alright, everyone!" The captain wasn't paying attention to them anymore. "I hope you all understand what will happen to you if you stay out here any longer. We'll be in that storm soon, and everyone should get to a safe place. If you're in the cabins below-decks, talk to any crew member for directions to a safe zone."

Pretty much every passenger quickly agreed that it was the safest idea and retired to their cabins or went to the galley. Then the captain turned back to Naruto and Hinata. "The same for you two, get to your cabin and stay there. It's not going to be safe out here until morning if I'm right."

Naruto turned to see if that blue-haired boy was still around. He found the mysterious teen leaning on the rail, staring out to see. He seemed to be lost in his own world, hypnotized by the looming storm clouds.

"Yeah, let's go to our room, Hinata."

* * *

**"**What are we going to do now?" Hinata asked once she and Naruto had changed back into the clothes they slept in.

"We're not going to go on the deck unless we absolutely have to." He answered. "The captain knows more about this than we ever will."

"Just because we're ninja doesn't make us invincible..." She agreed. "But I think we should do something."

"I thought the same thing before I saw exactly what was out there." He groaned and collapsed into a cushy chair. They had gotten an expensive cabin with relatively lush furnishings and a good view. "To tell the truth, we're not even close to being able to fight off a storm..."

"But?" Hinata could tell there was something else.

"But that other guy... if what he did was real, then he will be able to help more than we can. I think we should leave it to him for now." Naruto said with a sigh. "I feel helpless in the middle of the ocean."

"When do you think it'll hit?" Hinata wondered aloud, looking at their covered window. A metal plate had slid down to protect the glass, blocking their view.

"I don't know, soon." He moaned. "This was supposed to be a simple trip to find Ryoku, but now look at us. We aren't able to fight nature."

"I don't think you should worry so much." She smiled reassuringly. "The captain said the ship will be fine, so we will be too."

Naruto sighed and calmed down a little. He had to admit, he was probably worrying over nothing. "Okay..." He grinned. "So what do you want to do now?"

Hinata immediately turned several shades of pink. "Well... we're alone... there's lots of noise outside, so nobody can hear anything we do in here... there's nothing to do anyway..."

Naruto's face quickly followed suit, resulting in more shades of red. He had a good idea of what she was talking about. "Oh... okay... but..." He smiled nervously. "But... isn't that kind of inappropriate here?

She looked a little hurt. "It's not like there's anything else we can do." She half-lied. There were a few things, but they were rather dull.

"What am I... allowed to do?"

"Ahh..." She squealed and started breathing heavily. "Um... just don't... don't put anything inside anything... else..." She seemed satisfied with that. "Anything else... is fine... I think."

Neither of them really moved for a few moments until Naruto made a brilliant observation. "The bed... we can use the bed..."

"Yeah... the bed... Maybe it's just best if this is more spontaneous... It's a lot easier to get in bed together if we only plan on what we always do..." Hinata suggested.

"Yeah." He agreed almost immediately. "I think so too... But what we always do started out like this too."

"So... we should go ahead?" She asked him nervously. She wanted this, but now that it was about to happen, she felt a little light-headed.

Luckily, or unluckily for them, there was a loud noise from outside. It wasn't just the wind, something had happened.

"What was that?" Naruto choked out, his mind going into ninja mode. "Something's going on out there."

Hinata turned toward the window. It was still blocked by sheet-metal. She immediately knew what to do in this situation, since she had grown up with the ability to see through walls to some extent. So she prepared to form the required hand seals, but stopped before her hands clasped together. Frozen in place, she stared at the wall..._ through _the wall.

"Hinata... your eyes..." Naruto whispered. "They're white again..."

"I can see..." She whispered back. "But... all I did was think to use Byakugan. Does this mean that...?" She stopped, whatever it meant didn't matter for now. "I see a lot of chakra... a _lot_ of it. It's all coming from the bow."

"We're leaving the room." Naruto decided and unlocked the door. It opened to an interior hallway inside the ship's above-decks residence area. It was quieter in the hallway, the peaceful blue carpet and walls seemed to numb them to the fact that the ship was in danger.

That is, it numbed them until they stepped outside. They got a faceful of wind from the storm. But there was something wrong...

They weren't getting rained on.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked the air. "I don't understand this."

Hinata seemed to understand a little more than he did, and tried to explain. "The chakra is pushing against the storm. Only a little bit of wind is able to get through."

"A little bit?" Naruto barked. "Most people would probably fall over in this wind."

"There's a lot more out there..." She told him. "Enough to tear any ship apart."

"Let's find out what's doing this." Naruto suggested and started running toward the ship's bow.

"Be careful!" She called after him, following a bit more carefully.

They approached the front end of the deck and made out a figure standing at the rail. It was the same blue-haired ninja from before.

"He's using a huge amount of chakra." Hinata said in an all-business tone. It was time to act serious now. "Almost as much as I've seen you use."

"He's the one holding the storm back?" Naruto stared at the boy's back. "He's strong..."

They watched the boy for a few moments. He was standing there, holding tightly to the rail as if he might get blown away otherwise. His ocean-colored locks blew violently in the gusts that he tried to hold back.

"He's helping the ship..." Hinata muttered. "Saving the people."

"You're right." Another voice was heard. Naruto and Hinata turned around to see the captain. "He's my secret weapon, I met him about a year ago in one of my more adventurous journeys."

"Has he always been able to do this?" Hinata asked.

"Ever since I met him." The captain replied. "But we've never been up against a storm this strong. I don't really know if he'll be able to hold up against all of that long enough to get us through the rough part. As such, it's too dangerous for you two kids to be out here."

Naruto clenched his teeth. "You should know who you're talking to before you make assumptions like that."

Suddenly, all the noise stopped. The gusts of wind slowed to a gentle breeze and the thunder seemed to fade into the distance. The area surrounding the ship became calm and the choppy seas flattened.

Hinata looked around. It was peaceful in the immediate area, but the storm could be seen in every direction. "What's this?"

The boy that had been holding back the torrential rainfall turned toward them. "It's the eye of the storm. This is a typhoon, a huge storm that feeds off of the warm ocean currents and becomes more and more powerful until it hits land."

Naruto and Hinata looked him over. It was obvious that he was worn from so much strain on his body and chakra reserve. In fact, they were both wondering how he could have possibly held up so long without killing himself. He was using too much power to last more than five minutes unless he was like Naruto.

"Hey, kid." Naruto was thinking along those lines. "Do you have a separate source of power? Like something deep inside you that gives you all the energy you were using there."

"My name is Tenkou, and I only use my own power." He answered firmly. "The ability to manipulate the winds and seas has been passed down in my people for thousands of years. But you wouldn't know about that, such power doesn't exist in your continent."

"He comes from a faraway land that they call Tairik." The captain explained. "There are many people there that have similar roles that Shinobi do in our continent. They are called 'mages'. Tenkou here comes from a line of Storm Mages that has been around for a very long time."

"That power..." Hinata started. "It's very similar to our own powers, you use chakra just like we do."

"Cha...kra...?" He wondered what that meant. "No... we don't use any energy. We simply use our mind to control the elements."

Naruto glared at him. "If she says you used chakra, then you must have."

"No..." Hinata stopped him. "It may have been something else entirely... It may just look like chakra."

"Either way, do you think you'll be able to keep us safe from the rest of the storm?" The captain pleaded.

"To tell you the truth... I don't think so." He answered sadly. "I'm exhausted... my entire body is sore and I can barely stand."

**Hey... Kid.**

_What now?_

**We both know that you need to live if either of us want our goals to become reality. You should have more of a chance than this guy does. You can weaken the storm tremendously.**

_How?_

**He said that the storm feeds off of the warm ocean current, right?**

_Huh...?I think I know what you're getting at... it sounds like the kind of crazy plan I would come up with. But it seems too easy..._

**Not everything is as difficult as it seems at first. And you did come up with it.**

_Guess so... wait, are you just giving me credit so that if I screw up you can say "it wasn't my idea"?_

There was no reply. _Oh well, might as well get on it._

"How long can we stay in the eye? I'll try to rest a little." The boy who had named himself as Tenkou said.

"It'll only be a few minutes before the eye wall on the other side blows over us. There's not much time to rest."

"I'm a healer..." Hinata chimed in. "I might be able to help a little."

"Then by all means." The boy opened his arms.

Naruto didn't appreciate his reaction, but he couldn't worry about that for the moment. He knew he could trust her anyway.

Hinata's Byakugan activated on their own again, surprising her just as much as last time. After a moment, she scowled. "Your whole body is weakened, and parts of it are burned from the inside because you used too much power." She stated. "Resting for a few minutes can only make it worse. As your body begins healing itself, it will shut down certain parts that you'll need to keep the typhoon at bay." She told him, referring to his tenketsu. Healing techniques couldn't help much here.

"That doesn't sound good..." He sighed and dropped his head. After a second though, he turned around with a startled expression. "The storm... it's weakening, I feel it."

Hinata looked around, she couldn't really tell anything was different at all. She turned to Naruto, who was leaning silently against the rail, this was most unusual for him.

"We may be able to make it through if it keeps weakening at this rate." Tenkou smiled. "I think nature is giving us a break!"

Hinata smiled, so did the captain, but Naruto's expression didn't change as he stared out to sea..

"Tell me..." Tenkou turned back to Hinata. "Is it safe for me to stay out here on the deck?"

"You said yourself that you can barely stand." She answered with a groan. "Doesn't that mean anything?"

"I guess you're right... captain, it's safe to go on without my help."

"I think you're right!" The captain ran inside to the control room and called back to them. "You three get back inside, at least into the hallways!"

They all nodded agreement and went inside. Naruto turned back to the dark clouds for a moment more before turning around, an apprehensive look on his face. Once inside, they thanked heaven that their clothes were dry because of Tenkou's work.

The foreigner seemed to blend into the blue walls. Everything about him was the color, all except his skin. Blue hair, blue clothes, blue eyes, it all seemed natural on him.

"I think we should be fine now..." He stated. "It'll be rough at first, without my protection. But we'll make it through because this ship is tough. We'll make it to the next destination without too many problems... If the storm keeps slowing down."

Naruto folded his arms importantly. "The storm won't be any real problem now. I can feel it."

"I hope you're right... um... who the hell are you anyway?" The foreigner asked with a purely quizzical look.

"Uzumaki Naruto." He pointed at himself, then at his companion. "And my girlfriend, Hyuuga Hinata." He gave both their real names.

"Your girlfriend?" The other boy looked them both over for a moment. "No way, she's way above your level. She's more suited for someone really strong or influential."

Naruto was getting annoyed. "What?"

"It's true, Tenkou-san." Hinata interrupted before Naruto had the chance to vent his anger. "We're getting married, too." She announced with a bright smile and an equally bright blush. Then she felt she should add one more thing. "And Naruto is very strong."

"I'll prove it to you when we get to dry land." Naruto added confidently. "Just wait for it."

Hinata could feel the competitive tension between the two boys. "Naruto-kun, let's go to our cabin..." She grabbed his arm and pulled him down the hall, muttering something about how boys always have to be stronger than the other.

* * *

Once they were in bed, it was just like it always had been every time before. The same snuggling, the same kissing. They both loved it, but they also both figured they'd love the next part just as much.

Now the only problem was _getting_ to that part.

"Do you think other couples have trouble being more...intimate?" Hinata asked after he pulled away from their deep kiss. His face was an inch above hers, and his body was barely resting on top of hers. They had no trouble with this, why would they have trouble with the next part? "Is it normal to be this nervous?"

"I don't think so." He answered with a laugh. "Most couples haven't both been scarred by Jiraiya's sexual fantasies. I don't think it would be as bad if just one of us had gone through it."

"So are we afraid of it?" She asked. "Why would we be? It's nothing we should be afraid of, right? I mean... we won't even be doing the real thing until we're married..."

He sighed and laughed nervously. Part of him didn't like how she kept saying that part would wait. "Talking about it... we're just putting it off more. So... do you really need these?" He grabbed the hem of Hinata's pajama top and started pulling it up.

* * *

Hinata awoke first the next morning, as was the norm by now. Blushing with a passion, she recalled the previous night. It had been sweaty, passionate and adventurous.

"Naruto-kun..." She giggled happily as she turned around. He was still fast asleep. She shook him a little bit. "Wake up."

His face closed in on hers and made contact for another kiss. A few seconds later, he opened his eyes and pulled off. "Last night wasn't too bad, was it?"

"I'm a little embarrassed." She confessed shyly. "I've never felt like that before... it felt so... good. We should..." She blushed. "We should do that more often... but when people aren't around."

He laughed and shook his head in agreement. If they did that back home in the Shugokage base, everyone would know about it. And the last thing he wanted was for Jiraiya or Genka to find out about this.

Unfortunately, they didn't have any time to continue the preceedings of last night. There was a knock at the door.

Naruto grumbled and stood up, feeling a deep anger toward whoever had interrupted them. He motioned for Hinata to stay in the bed, which was hidden from the doorway by a wall.

"Naruto!" Tenkou eagerly shouted when the door was opened. "The storm is gone! I was wondering if we could have that fight you were talking about last night."

Naruto was clueless. "What?"

"Last night you told me you'd prove your power." Tenkou grinned competitively. "I think you might be a challenge to me, I actually can't wait."

"Um..." Naruto rubbed his eyes. "I wish you'd come a little later... I was just-" He stopped himself. That was probably not the kind of thing that Hinata wanted him talking about to strangers. "Let me get dressed. You're on."

He returned to the bedroom to change, where Hinata glared at him in half-serious annoyance.

"I'm gonna pummel this kid." He bragged, smiling excitedly. "He won't know what hit him!"

In the hallway, Tenkou heard the boasting shouts and smirked. "We'll see, ninja boy."

* * *

**End of Chapter Thirty-Three**

****Revised on 12-22-2011


	34. Fight Water with Water

**- Fight Water with Water -**

* * *

"Osanai?" Came an angry screech. "What are you doing back already?"

"It's Genka..." Sasame's expression as she said this told Mei that this 'Genka' person must be a real annoyance.

"You guys, I can't believe that you could have possibly gotten the stuff this fast. It's only been a few days!" She continued rattling off as she walked up to them. When she reached the top of the hill that the village entrance was situated on, her jaw dropped in astonishment. "That's... a lot of stuff..."

"We made some new friends." Sasame explained. "They'll be supplying the basic equipment for a while, a new stash every other month. But we still need to find the more specialized weapons."

"And..." Genka noticed the strange girl with her arm in a sling, standing next to Osanai. "Who's she?"

"She's the daughter of the... _family_ that's giving us the weapons." Osanai explained with a laugh. He was pretty sure that Genka would be able to pick up on his hint. "They wouldn't give us the stuff unless we promised to keep her safe."

"Is _that_ why you let me come?" The girl glared at him. "Maybe my first impression of you was right."

A nice big sweat drop formed on Osanai's head. "You know that's not it..."

Sasame chuckled at the show and whispered at Genka. "It's exactly what it looks like."

"So introduce me to your new _friend_, Osanai." Genka grinned evilly.

"Oh no..." He shuddered. That grin had always been reserved for Naruto and Hinata. This couldn't be good. "This is Abunai Mei... She's going to live in Waterfall village from now on..."

Sasame could see the gears turning in the woman's head. There was a diabolical plan in the works, and this time, Sasame might decide to get onboard with the plan and set these two up. It might be fun.

"Can I have a tour?" Mei asked them happily. "This is all so... different. I couldn't imagine a city underground like this."

Osanai groaned. "I have to take this stuff to the council office... stupid old geezers need the report."

"That's fine, I'll handle it." Sasame said with a wink, took the mule's harness and started walking into town.

"I'm going to go plan a few ways to torture Naruto and Hinata when they get back." Genka rubbed her palms together maniacally. "Those two are too much fun, I just can't help myself."

After a short laughing fit she turned and headed in the same direction as Sasame. This time it was Mei's turn to grow a sweat drop. "That woman... she's strange."

"Very..." He groaned. "She's a pain, but she's also very strong. And she can sometimes be the best thinker when we're in trouble. Anyway, I guess I _can_ give you a tour."

Halfway down the way, Genka caught up with Sasame and grinned.

"You liar." Sasame said with a laugh. "I have a feeling you're done messing with Naruto and Hinata for a while. Am I right?"

"For a while... yes. But Osanai, man, he's got to be twice as fun as Naruto." She grinned happily. "Actually... I think I'll get them all at once. It'll be awesome!"

"Can I get in on it?" Sasame asked mischievously.

"Nope. Sorry, but I've got a different partner in mind."

* * *

"So where do you live? I'd like to find out what kind of people your parents are."

"Me...?" His eyes shifted toward the ground. "I live alone..."

"Why?" Mei asked innocently. She wasn't quite prepared for his answer.

"I never met my mom, she died when I was born. My dad died a few years ago, I've been on my own since then." He explained quietly. "But I can take care of myself."

"Eh?" Her direct reaction was a bit startling, "That's no good! You must have been, what, twelve? I bet you just ate junk food every day since then!"

"Don't look down on me like that." He interrupted with an awkward smile.

Mei blushed lightly and apologized, "Sorry... I spoke too quickly. And I'm sorry to hear about your parents."

"It doesn't really bother me, I actually like having someone to talk to."

"But you'd rather talk about it to someone you've known longer." Mei assumed.

"Not really. I'd rather just talk to you." He kept his smile on. "I'm a little hungry, haven't had anything to eat all day. There's supposed to be a new restaurant here, the owner moved in all the way from Tea country."

"Let's go try it!" She exclaimed. "Everything has been an adventure since I met you."

They found their way to the market square, which was considerably smaller than the ones Mei was used to. But that wasn't exactly what was bothering her, what _was_ strange was that everyone seemed to act strange toward Osanai and herself.

"Hey, what's on the menu?" Osanai happily asked the man in the open-stand style restaurant. "We're starved."

"Wow, it's not every day you get the head honcho in your establishment." The owner chuckled heartily. "Alright, Osanai-sama. We've got everything on the sign there." He pointed to a lengthy list of meals, sides and desserts.

"Hey, Osanai..." Mei sat next to him and poked his shoulder. "Why's everyone treat you differently? And why did he call you 'Osanai-sama'?"

"Umm..." The boy laughed nervously. "I guess I forgot to tell you, I'm the guy in charge of everything around here."

"What, you own the town?"

"No. I'm the 'Hero', the village leader. Think about the Hokage or the Mizukage, only from a smaller village. That's me."

Mei stared blankly for a few seconds. "Huh? What's that mean?"

"Ummm..." He scratched the back of his head. How should he explain this to someone who had probably never heard of anything like it? "Basically, it means that I'm the strongest ninja here. And that everyone relies on me to defend the village and make important decisions."

"Uwaah!" She gasped in awe. "That's cool! Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"

"I don't want you to think of me as anything more than normal." He told her with a grin. "Everyone treats me differently, I wanted someone to think of me as something different than a leader or an important figure."

"So what did you want me to think of you as?" She asked with a teasing grin. "Well?"

"Someone normal. I love my job, I can protect everyone and help them with their problems, but I don't think I should be treated any differently than anyone else. I'm still only human, after all."

Mei smiled a little and looked at him a little differently, there was something else in her eyes that he had seen somewhere before, he just couldn't tell where. After a few seconds she let out a chuckle. "Then I'll just treat you the way I already do."

"That's all I ask."

* * *

"Alrighty then, ninja-boy." Tenkou taunted. "I've met enough of your kind in my travels, and none of them were any competition. But you're interesting... somehow, I really want to see what you're capable of."

"You know, you interrupted something important this morning..." Naruto mumbled in the other boy's general direction. "This had better be worth it."

"But I'm at advantage in the ocean." Tenkou lifted his arms in an expansive gesture. "Let's see you fight with only this ship to stand on."

A sweat-drop formed on Naruto's forehead. "What... are you... stupid?"

The other boy laughed confidently and leapt dramatically over the guard rail, landing with a light grunt on the water's surface. "Let's see you do that."

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata had a sweat-drop too. "Just because he doesn't seem to have any idea what a ninja is capable of, you still shouldn't underestimate him. Remember that he was powerful enough to hold back the storm last night."

Naruto nodded, sighed, and leaned against the guardrail. "What, that trick is supposed to be...? That's second nature to any decent ninja. Either you've never fought a real one, or you've never fought one near water."

He jumped down much less dramatically than his opponent had, the main reason for the lack of drama was just to show that it wasn't anything special. "It's easy..."

"Ohhh, I'm impressed." The aqua-haired and clothed teen nodded his head in appreciation of Naruto's talent. "Maybe you are a worthy adversary. This might be fun."

"You..." Naruto stopped and shook his head. There was no talking to this guy, he was too stubborn.

"What the..." Hinata watched with white eyes, her more familiar bloodline once again activating without hand seals. There was something that bothered her about the stranger. "He... isn't using chakra. How is it possible for him to walk on the surface without chakra?"

"I guess we can start now." Naruto grumbled, uninterested in anything he might face up against. "You go first."

"Alright!" Tenkou yelled enthusiastically and raised his hand. The sea water followed the gesture, but with immensely more force. "My attacks are faster than yours! I don't need to do any pesky hand seals!"

Naruto cocked an eyebrow. But soon both his eyes widened, when the water erupted between them, crashing toward him with more than enough force to crush a normal person's body.

Hinata gasped. "That much water, at that speed..." The hovering, spiraling water missile that barreled toward Naruto seemed impossible, especially without hand seals. "Who is this person?"

Down on the water surface, Naruto chuckled quietly as the torpedo stopped, and not even at the dramatic last second. It just stopped at the most anticlimactic moment possible. "Well... I have to admit, most of us ninjas wouldn't be able to fight that. It really makes me feel bad for treating you like some nobody."

"But you're not a normal ninja, are you?" Tenkou grinned. "Ninjas can't control water, it's something that only Storm Mages are capable of. So tell me, how come you can do it, even though you're obviously not a mage?"

"Just water?" Naruto grumbled. "You're not giving me enough credit. I have the ability to control whatever I want. Although... All I'm good at are fire and water."

"Then let's see how you fare against wind! A Storm Mage can control water, wind and lightning!"

After he said that, a gust blew across the water, causing ripples to distort the mirror-like surface. When it hit Naruto, he flew right into the air, defenseless against the air.

**It looks like now is a good time to learn how to use the power of my third tail, manipulation of air. It might be a little easier for you than water was.**

_How's that?_ Naruto asked as the time in the real world paused for his conversation.

**Your brain is not one that works logically, and thus working with water, something very plain and obvious to most, was not a simple task for you. But wind, which you cannot see, you only feel its presence, is much more abstract.**

_You're saying... what?_

**That your mind might more easily adapt to wind control than any of the other elements, other than the innate Love and Hate powers you already control with ease.**

_I like the sound of that. So what do I do?_

**Your mind, your consciousness, is... complex. I can't tell you exactly what do to, but using your body, such as your hands, to help focus never hurts.**

_I don't really feel safe with you being all helpful._

**Well, we'll both die if you don't master them all sooner or later. Don't think I'm getting sentimental, I'm still going to eat you.**

_That's the Kyuubi that I know and hate! _Naruto commented sarcastically. _Good to have you back, old buddy._

**Just for that, you'll die nice and slow.**

Back in the real world, Naruto attempted to grasp the concept of controlling air. It wasn't going so well. "Gah, how the hell am I supposed to do this? I've never had any practice with wind, this isn't fair!"

Hinata and Tenkou both rolled their eyes.

"Abstract? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Naruto grumbled at himself. "I've seen 'abstract' artwork, I don't understand it at all. Shouldn't that mean that my brain can't do abstract? I mean, really, do I just wave my arm like this and-" he stopped after he waved his arm, because he was no longer being blown through the air like a toy glider, but more like a brick. Meaning, he was falling back to the water. "Hey! I guess that's what it meant!"

He splashed into the water and swam back up for air. "This will be interesting."

Before he could comment any more, Tenkou moved again. His next attack agitated the water below Naruto, making him sink back down to where the pressure felt at least five times what it normally was, and was continuing to rise. _If this were real, he would try to crush me, but he's probably only trying to knock me out right now... well that doesn't mean I don't have to worry! _

He fought back with his own elemental control and released the pressure that was squeezing his lungs. He managed to swim back up and situate himself on top of the water, on his feet this time to avoid any surprise attacks.

This time it was Naruto's turn to attack. He leapt forward at his opponent, pulling a concealed kunai from a pocket in his clothes. He quickly let the knife fly at the other boy, hoping to force him into defending against the knife, leaving him open to Naruto's physical attack.

But that didn't happen. The knife sliced right through his stomach, in one side and out the back. The blood sprayed in both directions, but the boy smiled.

As fast as the blood had appeared, it seemingly turned to water. Then Tenkou's body itself splashed into a thousand drops of water and dropped into the ocean.

"What the? A water clone?" Naruto muttered.

"No!" He heard Hinata call down. "That was the real thing... his body... turned into water!"

**Well... this might be easier than we expected.** He heard the Kyuubi chuckle in his mind. **You won't even have to show him a single Ninjutsu move.**

_I was thinking the exact same thing. _Naruto grinned.

**Remember not to rely too much on my elemental control. **Kyuubi warned.** My chakra is exponentially stronger anyway.**

There wasn't any time to lose, he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. That meant that the next time Tenkou showed up, he would have to act fast.

He waited patiently, watching every tiny movement carefully to avoid getting surprised. He couldn't tell where Tenkou was, or where he would strike next, but he had to be ready.

There was a dripping noise from behind, and he spun around to see the water body forming back into a humanoid shape. It was time to act now! He ran forward and extended his hand. The faint shape of a smile could be seen on what was presumably the water body's head, and Tenkou was probably laughing mentally at Naruto's naïveté. But that didn't last.

Naruto stopped inches away, and the water stopped taking shape, like Tenkou knew he was only going to splash into the water again anyway to dodge another attack. But that assumption cost him.

"This is what happens when people underestimate me!"

It only took a split second. The instant that Naruto's hand hit the water, he went into action. He took as much heat energy that was stored in the water and transferred it into the air. When there was no longer enough warmth, Tenkou's half-formed body turned into an icicle, fell into the water and floated like any other ice cube. Only, it had a face.

"I win, Storm Mage boy"

* * *

It was late, and the fake sky had darkened to show this. They were sitting in the grass outside of the finished areas of the village, under the starless artificial night. Earlier, when they had eaten dinner, Mei had revealed that she was left-handed. With her left arm currently unusable, she couldn't hold her chopsticks – and had teased Osanai into feeding her.

"Hey, Osa?" She asked happily.

"Stop teasing me..." Osanai grumbled with an annoyed expression.

She giggled. "It's just easier to say, that's all. Don't you want a nickname?"

His head dropped in exasperation. "Not... particularly..."

"Too bad! From now on, you are Osa! It's just a nickname."

"Okay, you win." He groaned and smiled at the same time. "But what were you trying to say?"

"Oh..." She put her finger to her chin as she thought back a little. "Yeah, where will _I_ live?"

"Ah...? That's... a good question. You can't really live with the others in the Shugokage, and we can't just give you a house or apartment since you didn't bring any money. This... could be troublesome."

"Well, it's _your_ responsibility to take care of me." She pointed at the sling her left arm was in. "You did this to me."

"Are you trying to make me feel guilty?"

Mei's teasing smile immediately disappeared, and her sarcastic expression melted into a sad one. "Listen... I didn't come here because of my dad, or to be protected. Those were only excuses, convenient ones..."

"Mei-chan? I... What... Where is this coming from?"

"Sasame said you're you're good at figuring out what a girl wants. But you can't tell what it is that I want?"

"I..." He hesitated; it was true, he had no idea what she was getting at. "Can you tell me? I'm... confused."

Mei smiled at the irony. "What I want... is a place to live." She lied. "That's all. So if you have your own house, can I stay there, at least for tonight?"

Osanai blushed a little bit despite himself. But the blush faded into a solemn and thoughtful expression. "I... have one condition. I have this secret, you see..."

"What is it?" She smiled, hoping he might actually confess what Sasame had already told her.

"I don't want anyone to know about it..." He hung his head a little lower. "I'm sick."

"You're sick?" She repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"Mei-chan... I shouldn't be telling you this, but... I trust you." He smiled lightly to show his appreciation. "I may be very strong, but my body is... broken. If you're going to be in my home, then you will probably see firsthand what I mean."

"What..." She couldn't think of any words to come out of her mouth for a few moments. "Is it serious?"

"No, it's something I only picked up recently." He smiled reassuringly, although it was sort of a lie. "But still, nobody needs to know about it."

"Liar." She huffed. "There's more than that, it is serious isn't it?"

Osanai's mouth opened, part of him knew she was going to say that. "Don't worry about it..."

"You're not answering the question. Didn't you say you trust me?"

"That's not relevant..." He sighed and looked straight at her. "I'm just... scared..."

Mei was respectfully silent for a moment. Then she asked, gently, "What are you scared of?"

He wasn't able to look at her face. "I'm dying..."

The revelation came too suddenly and she didn't even notice the tears forming. "B... but... you need..." She stopped, knowing somehow that she needed to say something different. "Doesn't that bother you?" She whispered.

"It didn't before." He smiled painfully. "But lately, I've realized... I don't want to die."

"Isn't there some treatment?" She started to get a little aggressive. "There's got to be some way to fight it."

"There is a treatment." He kept the same pained smile on his face. "I'm taking it right now. And it stops the illness completely, but..."

"But what?"

"It's ironic... The treatment is what causes the disease, and the disease is the treatment. The medicine... it's killing me too. But if I don't keep treating it like this, I'll die in a day." He explained. "There's nothing anyone can do... So please... don't tell anyone."

"I won't..." She promised.

"Mei... what's wrong?"

"You don't deserve this... You're such a good person, why do you have to have it?"

"To tell you the truth, I actually did have a choice in the matter." He chuckled at some irony. "It's sort of a curse that comes with being the Hero, it's what killed all of my predecessors. I accepted the disease when I accepted my position."

"Why?" She nearly yelled. "I don't-" She stopped and covered her mouth.

"What?"

"I don't..." She repeated. "Want you to die."

"Why?" He blushed a tiny bit.

She didn't answer, but only looked at the ground. After several moments passed, she sighed. "I won't tell anyone, so can I sleep at your house?" She asked.

"Yeah, sure." He responded in a whisper.

"But..." She added. "Not only tonight."

"What?"

"I want to stay there... just for now." She explained. "I don't know why... but that's what I want." She said, then pretended to cheer up a little. "Besides, who's going to feed me if I stay anywhere else?"

* * *

"Hmmmm..." Ryu sighed. They were well on their way to the place that Risuki told him about, but weren't there yet, so they decided to set up camp for the night. She said they would be there tomorrow, so he trusted her. But there was still something bugging him.

"Why don't you just stay locked up?" He moaned, leaning against a tree and holding his sword and sheath in his hand. "This stupid monster is being more aggressive lately." He whispered at nobody. Risuki was off somewhere else, doing... whatever it is she does.

"I have to be more careful." He mumbled, seeming more annoyed than anything else. "But, I wonder... how strong this sword really is." His eyes closed in exasperation. "Well, I hope I never find out. Because if I do..." He shuddered. "I don't want to think about that."

"Who're you talking to?" He heard that familiar voice roll up behind him. She was still just as silent as ever.

"I'm just thinking out loud." He answered with a smile. "How much longer until we find that guy you were talking about?"

"We'll be in the area tomorrow. Finding him will be the hard part." She folded her arms and sighed. "He's very careful, almost paranoid, and his secret service is very good at keeping him hidden. But his bodyguards aren't anything compared to us."

"How are we going to find him?"

"I know where to look, and I know most of the right questions to ask." She smiled. "But you should keep quiet, if you mess up my act, we'll never find him."

"That inspires lots of confidence." Ryu rolled his eyes and slumped over.

"Hey, you were practically bred and groomed to be a fighter. I'm trained in the more underhanded business." She stated cheerfully and sat down, immediately leaning on his side. "Leave it to me."

"Right..." He moaned.

"Hey!" She yelled sharply. "You're not supposed to say things like that in front of your girlfriend. It's rude!"

"Since when do you care about manners?" He teased.

"This is different!" She stated, but with an amused grin as she started poking his shoulder. Soon the grin turned into a pout. She was laying it on thick. "Just be nice, okay?"

"That's not fair..." He mumbled. Risuki had learned earlier that he had a weakness for anything she did that could possibly be considered cute.

"Well, in that case." She laughed a little and pushed him to the ground. The sword clattered out of the way, into the grass so she could push her body against his. "Is this fair?"

Ryu was quickly turning red. He also blushed considerably more often than she did. "It's better than the sneaky pouts and persuasive tactics." He said with a grin. "I actually get something back this time."

"Instant gratification." She said with a laugh. "Every man's weakness."

After another few moments of giggling, he pulled her head down toward his for the inevitable kiss. They had only been a couple for about a week, at the very most, and they had to be very careful in their travels after they left Shugokage, only days after joining. But now that they were in – according to Risuki – a safe area, they could do this again.

"I love you." He told her honestly between smooches.

"I love me too." She said with a laugh. "Oh, you're nice too I guess."

* * *

Come morning, Mei had completely given up on sleep. Every few minutes, she would hear the faint sound of Osanai choking in his sleep. It wouldn't have bothered her nearly as much if she didn't know what was causing it, but part of her was glad he was able to tell her.

She turned and looked at the clock. It was about time to get up, so much for sleep. She decided to get out of bed and find something to do, but her choices were limited with only one arm. So instead she just found herself wandering down the hallways toward the sickly noises.

The door was cracked open, so she pushed it wide open without really thinking about it. There inside, she saw Osanai asleep in his plain white covers, in a largely undecorated room.

"What am I doing in here?" She wondered quietly. "Well... I'm just going to wake him up."

"Osa-san?" She leaned over his bed. "Osanai?"

There was no response but a little more coughing. "O-Osanai?" She shook his shoulders a little. This time it worked, he began to stir.

"Eehhhhh" He moaned as he started to open his eyes. But right when he saw her leaning over him, he yelped and jumped away. "M-Mei?"

His reflexes sent him tumbling off the bed, bashing into the wall and falling to the ground. He managed to get to his knees before he started coughing more violently. After a second, his eyes widened in shock. "Blood..."

He managed to pick himself up and open a drawer. Inside the drawer were several tiny glass vials that only seemed to hold a few drops of a clear liquid. He quickly grabbed one and drank the miniscule amount of medicine that was in it. After a few seconds, he was breathing normally again. "Sorry..." He mumbled, staring at the blood that he had choked up. "I was hoping you wouldn't have to see that."

"You..." Her eyes were wide with astonishment. "You're really sick."

"Did you think I was lying last night?"

She shook her head a little, then followed his line of sight to the blood on the wooden floor. "I didn't think you were this bad already."

"Don't worry about it." He grinned, as if there hadn't been anything wrong.

"The medicine's effect won't wear off for another week, so I'm fine."

Mei couldn't believe how he was acting. He had a terminal illness and he was treating it like a cold! And he had just coughed up blood, that's not a healthy sign. Thinking of this, she started to get a little impatient. "You can't just say that!"

Osanai looked more than surprised at her outburst. Once again, he could see tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. "Mei-chan... you're right. But there's not much I can do about it."

All night she had felt worse and worse with each couch that came from his room, she didn't want to listen to it, it made her feel sick, in a different way. And this was the last she could take. The tears finally escaped and started pouring down her face. "You..." She sobbed. "moron... do you think that protecting this village and doing your job are the only things that matter? There are other important things too."

"I know... but my purpose is-"

"Your purpose is to live!" She shouted, cutting him off and leaving him speechless. "That's everyone's purpose! Self-sacrifice is fine as long as it doesn't mean killing yourself! Dying for a cause is good, but only if you aren't _trying_ to die for it! You can be _willing_ to die for something, or you can _expect_ to die for it."

"Mei..."

"And if you expect it and still don't try to stop it, that doesn't mean that you've just accepted it." She continued. "It means you want it. You lied to me!"

"What?"

"You told me that you don't want to die, but now you're saying that you've accepted it." She explained, suddenly quiet again. By now, her face was red and soaked in tears. She couldn't believe she had started crying so easily, it didn't make any sense. "So which is the lie?"

"I... I never lied." He defended, still stunned at her words. "I don't think I did... Mei, why are you so worried about me? I'm only one person."

"Every life has an impact on the entire world." She whispered. "If your life ends too soon, how do you know what will happen?"

"I don't." He still couldn't bring his voice above a loud whisper. "But I already told you; I don't want to die, but there's nothing I can do about it."

"Then don't do anything!" Her voice was less angry now. She sounded worried again. "But there are still other ways to give your life meaning than martyring yourself for your home village."

"What else is there?" He asked with a sigh. "It's a position that I can't back down from."

"Friends, fun, movies, games, sports." She listed. "Romance, games, relaxation, watching clouds. You're still sixteen, you shouldn't be responsible for everything."

"Why do you care so much anyway?" He asked suspiciously.

"What would you do if I was the one in your position? What if I was going to die, and if I was practically looking forward to it?" She challenged him.

"I'd..." Now he got it. "I'd try just as hard to talk you into living. But the reason would be different."

Mei smiled a tiny bit and shook her head. "You would do it because you like me, right?"

Osanai's eyes shot wide open. "M-Mei?" he gasped. "When... how..."

Mei smiled and blushed. "So... would being with me give you a better reason to live?"

Osanai couldn't speak for a moment. He was dumbfounded, all he could manage to do was stare. She was still crying, and her bright red hair was a tangled mess... but she had a hopeful smile, both on her lips and in her green eyes.

"What?" He gasped out after a few long moments.

Mei shyly turned to look at the floor. "I didn't want to tell you... but I..."

"You know, your name suits you well, Oroka-san." A man's voice familiar to Osanai, but not so much for Mei, stated. "She's right: There's nothing wrong with living your life."

"Arashi?" Osanai yelped, inwardly cursing the fact that Arashi can't be sensed by normal methods. "How long have you been listening?"

"I was here almost from the beginning. But don't worry, I already knew you were sick." He stated and appeared on the bed He seemed perfectly normal except for the whole appearing out of nowhere thing, but Mei figured that was a ninja thing. "Oi, Mei-chan. You're right, but O-san is just as stubborn as his father was. He's making the same kind of mistakes too."

"What?" Osanai spun on his heels to face the Yondaime. "You... knew my father?"

The blonde ghost nodded slowly. "You're following in his footsteps, that's for sure. But that's not what he wanted for you. He wasn't as important as you are, and he wasn't as powerful either. But he did live by the same principals as you; he put everyone else before himself. He died regretting it, realizing that if he had let himself enjoy life a little more, then it might have made the lives of those around him that much better."

"But I was alive when he died, why didn't he tell me that?"

"That's... not something to explain around her." He chuckled nervously. "I'll tell you soon though."

"Umm..." Mei was staring at blonde man sitting casually on top of Osanai's bed.

"Oh, sorry." Arashi grinned. "I was interrupting. Please, feel free to kiss each other all you want, I'll leave you alone." He waved goodbye and vanished again, leaving the two teens bright red with embarrassment.

"He's like that..." Osanai chuckled nervously as a sweat drop rolled down his head. The slightly romantic and serious attitude from before had been completely dissolved, fated to become an awkward silence if he didn't think fast. His heart was pounding in his ears, but it wasn't because of the awkward situation. Something else was affecting him "I... don't feel so good..."

Mei watched as his body fell to the ground. It hit with a dull thud, and then everything was eerily quiet. "Osanai?" She dropped to her knees and shook his body with her good arm. "Osanai!"

* * *

"You're not a normal ninja, are you?" Tenkou asked with a grin. He had thawed out overnight, which didn't especially look like a pleasant experience to either Naruto or Hinata.

"And you're not a normal... whatever the hell you are." Naruto countered. "If Hinata said you were using chakra, then you were."

"But what's strange is that he wasn't using it to walk on the water." Hinata said thoughtfully. "If his powers are all innate, and he can easily do them without chakra or hand seals, then how did he use chakra last night?"

"I dunno..." Naruto groaned.

"What if..." Hinata's bluish eyes widened a tiny bit. "That would explain the amount of chakra, and why he uses it without knowing."

Naruto's expression shifted from annoyed to surprised, then to thoughtful. "Hey, Tenkou. How much stronger are you than normal... people like you?"

"I'm just as strong as anyone normally..." He rolled his eyes, thinking back a few years. "But none of them have ever been able to hold a typhoon back. And I'm much younger than anyone else who has as much power as I do."

"I think you're right, Hinata..." Naruto smiled. "Alright, Tenkou! We'll be taking this ship back home too. Will you be here?"

"Yes..."

"All right! When we get back home from Snow country, you're coming with us." He grinned and gave a thumbs-up – for no real reason. "You've officially been accepted into an elite group of warriors called 'Shugokage'."

"I don't thin-"

"Oh, I almost forgot." Naruto hit the palm of his left hand with his fist, as if just remembering something important. "If you don't, the world is doomed."

_That might be exaggerating a little bit. _Hinata's eyebrow twitched. _But if it gets the job done..._

"Doomed?"

"Yes!" Naruto folded his arms and nodded importantly. "An evil man, the Hokage of Konoha, is planning to destroy the known world in a quest for power. It is the job of Shugokage to make sure that his plan never comes to pass, and to kill him."

Tenkou cocked an eyebrow at this. "It sounds like some stupid fairy tale. I'm guessing Hinata is the damsel in distress, and you're the hero? What role do I play?"

_Damsel in distress...? _Hinata twitched a little more.

"There are nine heroes, and you're one of them." Naruto stated. "Me, the man that Hinata and I are going to find in Snow country, Gaara – the leader of Sand village, an ill-tempered girl named 'Risuki', you and four others."

"Who are the other four?"

"If we knew that, we would have found you – along with them – a long time ago."

"Oh, so now everything makes sense..." The blue-headed, blue-eyed, blue-garbed teen sighed. Nobody would ever wonder what his elemental affiliation was.

"So..." Hinata interrupted. "Will you come with us?"

Tenkou sighed and looked thoughtful for a few moments, then smiled and nodded. "Sure."

"Thank you." Hinata bowed politely.

"That was easy..." Naruto stared blankly. "Really?"

"Yeah, I actually... well, that's not important." He smiled and shook his head. "I'll help you out."

* * *

"Risuki..." Ryu gasped in exaggerated exhaustion. "When will we find him?"

Risuki cursed under her breath at Ryu. They were walking in a scummy dark alley in a huge city, where all sorts of people you don't want to meet can be lurking. And for them, pretty much anyone who could be in the alley was someone they didn't want to meet up with, because it would mean that they lost their chance.

"Oh, you're lookin' for someone, missy?" Came a creaky voice as a shadowy figure lurched out of a dark corner. "Who'd that be?"

"It's not any of your business, if you want to live." She instinctively stared him down. In places like this, the only thing she could trust was intuition. Anyone was her enemy, especially if they claimed to be friendly. That's just how it worked in the shadowy lanes of the underworld.

"Feisty." The stranger chuckled. "Just like I remember."

"Arai?" She choked. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Just what I've always done here." He chuckled again. "What about you? Looks like you've gone 'good' on us."

"You're just as 'good' as any of the rest of us." Risuki brushed off the comment in an annoyed tone. "Well, you probably already know who we're looking for."

The scrawny man peeked around Risuki to see a slightly ruffled-looking Ryu slouching behind her, waving nervously. "Hello. You're Arai-san?"

"Who's the goody-two-shoes?"

"He may not look like much when he's walking in a dark alley..." She sighed in exasperation. Poor Ryu had been practically hiding from his own shadow ever since they got into the alleyways. He seemed to feel a little insecure. "But he's... Know what, you wouldn't believe me without seeing it anyway. Just take us to the boss."

After traveling through more of the smelly, shadowy, unsanitary streets, the three arrived at a bar. "Atsui-sama is downstairs."

"Thanks." Risuki said, but didn't even look at the skinny man.

She walked up to the doors. The place was deep in the slimy part of town, and was very poorly maintained. Ryu timidly shuffled past the man, smiling a weak thanks and followed Risuki inside, past all the not-so-friendly looking patrons and down the severely dilapidated stairs. There, they were met with something that neither of them had completely expected.

"If you want to see Atsui-sama, you'll have to get through me." A boy that couldn't have been any older than they were grinned. "Don't let my age fool you, I'm stronger than you could possibly imagine."

* * *

**End of chapter Thirty-Four**

****Revised on 12-23-2011


	35. The Demon Sword

**- The Demon Sword -**

* * *

Genka sighed as she entered the room. Osanai was unconscious in bed and Shuuzen was doing something to him with a healing technique. "How long has he been like this?"

Shuuzen turned to her old friend. "Mei got me a few hours ago. I managed to get him stable but..."

"We don't know what's wrong with him." Arashi lied. "Whatever it is, it's killing him from the inside out."

"What's that mean?" Genka asked, confused.

"His organs and internal body systems are dying." Shuuzen answered. "Because of this, his blood pressure is dangerously low and his heart is pumping at an unusual rhythm."

"What you're saying is..." Genka had a better idea now, with that more specific explanation. "We don't have much time to save him."

"And even less time to prevent brain damage." Arashi interjected sadly

"I'm afraid so... but I've never heard of a disease like this. It's attacking all of his organs at once, however his heart and lungs are going faster than the rest. It's times like these when modern technology would be a lifesaver. But they don't have stuff like that in a secluded village like this, so there's only so much that I can do to keep him alive."

"The hospital here isn't going to be very helpful is it?"

"The hospital here is a joke." Shuuzen told her with a shake of her head. "We need to get some idea of what this is. If we don't, he's dead. If we only had a well-equipped hospital, we could keep him alive longer and have more time."

"Why don't we take him somewhere?" Genka was once again being oblivious to the facts.

"He's not supposed to be alive as it is. This entire village is thought to be decimated. He doesn't have any identification, nothing to prove that he'd be able to pay the hospital. They wouldn't take him in."

Mei had been completely silent up until this point. But now she finally had something to contribute to their conversation. "My father has connections..."

"Connections?" Shuuzen raised her eyebrows. "With a good hospital?"

"They say it's the best in the country." She answered. "My father is friends with the administrator, and he probably knows who Osanai is anyway."

"The administrator knows?"

"No, my father. He's a..."

Sasame walked into the room and sighed. "He knows about Osanai, I don't know how though." She lied so Mei wouldn't have to explain her father's "job".

"Then there's no time to lose! At a big hospital like that, they can keep him on life support, and they'll have more equipment to diagnose him!" Shuuzen shouted and leapt into ninja-healer mode. "Get Ero-sennin to carry him, he and I will take Osanai to the town."

"Wait!" Mei shouted before Shuuzen could run out in search of Jiraiya. "Take me with you."

* * *

"We've still got two or three days on the boat..." Naruto said to himself. He was standing on the ship's stern, looking at the storm off in the distance. It was behind them now, and out of the minds of everyone else on the ship. But he seemed almost mesmerized by it.

Tenkou was standing beside him, staring at the storm with a similar, yet entirely separate emotion. "But you've got a pretty girlfriend to spend the time with." He said with a chuckle. "I'm not so lucky."

"Do you have a girl back home?"

"Nope..." Tenkou looked a little nostalgic. "I wasn't allowed to date there, I was 'too young'. I'm old enough now, but I just don't have the time. Besides, I'll probably never return there anyway..."

"Wait..." Naruto turned to look at his new friend, a confused and surprised look on his face. "You'll never go home?"

"It's so far away..." He said with a sad smile. "It takes months to get to there on a normal ship. Nobody really bothers traveling to other continents, so almost all ninja are clueless about mages, and vice versa."

"That sounds rough..."

"It's not too bad. I always wanted to explore the world." He closed his eyes as if remembering something from his past. "Hey... go spend time with your girl, I'm fine here."

Hinata was at the highest point on the ship; standing on the small observation deck above the command room. It was a beautiful view, nothing but ocean in every direction with only black storm clouds hanging above the horizon to the south.

Her dark hair blew in the breeze. It confounded her to no end how it had grown so fast a few weeks ago. It just grew, almost a foot, in the time it took to blink your eyes. It was a little harder to maintain, but it looked good even in a ponytail – which is pretty much standard for female ninjas with long hair - hanging nearly all the way down her back. She, being a girl, decided it was a fair trade.

A familiar scent and a familiar pair of arms both wrapped around her. Although, the arms seemed to move substantially lower than they usually did, making her blush a bit more than usual as well.

"Hey." He whispered in her ear.

"Hi." She responded quietly. "What are you doing up here?"

"Tenkou told me to come up here and kiss you." Naruto laughed. "He wanted to be alone for a while."

"We still have a few days left." Hinata sighed. "I don't want to waste all that time in bed, even if it is with you. There has to be something to do here."

"I guess so..." Naruto looked around. From their view, you could see the entire deck, and also see where the most people were congregating. Soon enough, he spotted an area that seemed more active than the rest of the ship. "Let's check over there."

He jumped down, leaving Hinata up on the platform, shaking her head "He's going to hurt himself one day..." But then she jumped down after him. _I'm going to hurt myself too, at this rate._

"Hey, what's going on here?" Naruto asked one of the other passengers.

"Oh, there's a movie playing on the ship!" a woman exclaimed as she grabbed the arm of what was presumably her boyfriend or husband. "It's so cool, I wouldn't have expected it at all!"

"A movie?" Now he was getting excited. "Hey, Hinata?"

"Hm?" She asked as she caught up with him.

"Want to watch a movie with me?"

* * *

"Who are you?" Ryu asked, keeping his guard up.

"There are two ways to find out." His opponent answered. "I'll tell you if you pass my test, or I'll tell your dying bodies. It really depends on how well you do."

Ryu sighed. "What's the test?"

"Hmmmm..." He looked over Ryu and Risuki carefully. They both had cutting weapons – Risuki with her daggers and Ryu with his sword. "If you can make three cuts on my body, then I'll let you in. If I decide you've wasted enough of my time, I'll warn you so you can escape without getting killed."

"You're being a little arrogant, kid." Risuki grinned. "You're just lucky we don't kill."

"You don't kill?" He looked a little confused. "That's disappointing... I guess you won't be able to cut me then, will you? Come on anyway, but you won't get anywhere if you keep that no-killing attitude."

"This guy..." Risuki growled. "Who does he think he is? He's treating us like normal people."

"You're treating me the same way." The other guy sounded a little annoyed. "I'm getting bored... I might just kill you right now if you don't move first."

Risuki, being the more impulsive one, made the opening move. Her hands moved naturally to the decorated handles of her twin knives.

She sped toward her opponent, who was actually grinning at her approach. She didn't think anything of it, figuring that it must be some psych-out act to get her off guard, so she only accelerated more, covering the considerable distance across the large arena-like room in only a few steps.

At the last possible second, just as she was sure her attack would at least strike a wounding blow, he disappeared and she passed right through the air where he had been standing. Acting by her reflexes, she let the momentum of her attack spin her around in the air. Sure enough, he was still standing in the exact same spot as before. This time it was her turn to grin, he didn't seem to know she was on to him already.

She did something very rare for her, and in a truly serious fight she wouldn't even think of doing it. But this was only a test, so it was justified. She flipped one weapon around so that its curved steel blade was held between her index and middle fingers, whipped her wrist and let slip the deadly blade.

Her knives weren't designed to be thrown. They had short, curved, single-edged blades. The leather-wrapped handle was actually part of the blade, forged as a single piece. But even though they weren't designed to be deadly when thrown, all she was trying to do was cut him, and that should be possible.

The mysterious opponent heard the vibration of the blade slicing through the air and lifted his own hand to catch it. It landed neatly between his fingers, and he turned around to flash a confident grin.

"Nice try." He chuckled a little. "That's an unexpected strategy with this type of weapon."

"Well it worked, didn't it?" She laughed back. "I see some blood."

"Huh?" He looked at his hand. There was definitely a drop of blood hanging from the tip of his finger, threatening to drop off and stain the floor. "Wow, you cut my finger. I guess that's cut number one... you might be impulsive, but better than I expected."

"You're still so confident?" Her body language changed to show she was a little confused.

"Well, there's a reason I said three cuts." He sighed, a little annoyed that he had to explain it. "The first one is to ascertain the level of skill that you hold, the second is for his skill. The third is the real test."

"I guess that means it's my turn." Ryu said from the other end of the room, almost thirty feet away. He was standing tall and confident with his sword held in its original katana form. The grin on his face hinted that he was almost looking forward to what was to happen.

"Oh, you're the cool one, huh?" He laughed across the room. "Come on then!"

Ryu didn't waste any time and jumped in the air.

"Whoa! This guy's fast!" The nameless teen exclaimed. His voice seemed to have an edge of anticipation. "He's the one I should probably be afraid of here."

Risuki growled a few profane words at his back, but nobody heard them. At that exact moment, Ryu came to an almost immediate stop in front of his foe, letting his blade slash downward and diagonally. But the target vanished, instantly reappearing behind Ryu.

"You could have killed him!" Risuki scolded her partner.

"He was going to dodge it anyway." Ryu explained calmly. "He uses some sort of quick movement technique."

"That's one way to phrase it... But I think the best way to describe what I do is "instant travel."

Ryu countered. "What's the secret?"

He flickered to another place in the room, just like before, and Ryu lifted his sword again. _It's my speed against his "instant travel" trick. If I can figure out how he's doing it, then it's my win._

"Hey, Ryu?" Risuki poked his shoulder. "I know you well enough to know that you think it _is_ a trick, and that you'll try to figure out how he does it."

"Yeah, and?"

"Well, I'll bet that's the reason he said 'if you take too long, I'll just kill you' or something like that." She explained. "If he thinks you're close enough to figuring it out, he can end it before you actually do. We don't have time to figure out his tricks – and they might not even be tricks at all. This is a place where your special ability is handy."

Ryu groaned. "Using _that_ on someone as insignificant as him?"

"What'd you say?" The other teen steamed. "Insignificant? I'll show _you_ 'insignificant'!"

"Yes... just finish it fast." She fanned her face with her hand. "I'll just watch. This isn't the kind of fight I'm good at anyway."

Ryu let out a nervous laugh. "You've got a point." He smiled and turned to their tester. "Alright, kid. You can't raise the number of times I have to hit you anymore, so you had better be careful."

"You seem pretty confident."

"That's because this is going to be finished in just few seconds." Ryu laughed heartily. "Watch out, because I'm going to use some of my coolest tricks on you."

After making this challenge, Ryu shot forward with his trademarked grin plastered onto his face. "Dodge this!"

At the very last second, the boy vanished into thin air, reappearing behind Ryu, just as he always had. But when he materialized in his new position, he gasped in shock. The sword's bunshin circuit had allowed Ryu to cast an illusion to attack his opponent instead, which he hid behind and waited for the predictable response.

"You're just a one-trick ninja!" He shouted confidently and unleashed one of his fastest slash attacks. But it was dodged by the instant travel move just like all the others. Ryu could see him reappear a few feet to the side in his peripheral vision.

His slash immediately changed direction, no longer a single movement, it became his signature triple-slice attack which was invented to fight against skilled dodgers or blockers. His sword passed through empty space again, but he was getting ever closer with each attempt.

He could just glimpse the boy reappearing again on the other side. The third and final slash flew through empty space again. It felt like he was only microns away this time. _Good, his reactions are slowing down._

He flickered back behind Ryu, who was just about to wrap it up. He turned around and sent one more swing through air as the boy dodged again, by only a hair. The swordsman had predicted it and turned around with insane quickness. He couldn't pull off another consecutive instant movement, and just barely managed to fall backward and avoid being sliced. But he also knew that if Ryu had been going for a kill, he wouldn't have been able to avoid the last attack at all.

He was sweating and breathing heavily by now. And once again, he avoided Ryu's attack by a hair, this time actually worried that it may hit. He flipped over and landed on his feet, then flashed to another point in the room.

Ryu looked around for a moment before he found the other guy. He was standing ten feet or so away, right in between Ryu and Risuki. "You're really fast." He commented in a raspy voice. "But don't think you've passed already, even after all that, you still didn't touch me.

Ryu's eyes narrowed as he prepared for one final dash. He shot forward and prepared his weapon for an attack, but then his opponent did something unexpected.

He jumped at Ryu with a more humanlike speed, but his hands both reached the impossible speed that he called "instant travel", clamping down on the blade, holding it mere inches above his head.

"You were pretty close, swordsman." He grinned. "Time's almost up, what're you gonna do now?"

The speedy boy's right foot flew upward, kicking the handle and the sword out of Ryu's tight grip. "No!" He shouted. "Risuki, get that!"

Risuki's reflexes kicked in before she was able to remember what happened the last time she touched the sword's handle. She easily caught it, smiled and shouted to Ryu. "Hey, I got-"

Ryu was facing the other direction, this time he was on the defensive side of the fight without his sword. But he could definitely _feel_ something wrong.

His opponent stopped attacking almost immediately. He looked frightened and backed up a few steps, staring behind Ryu.

Ryu himself took the chance to turn around and see what was going on. What caught his sight was something he wasn't prepared for. "Risuki?"

"Hey, girl!" The boy who had been testing them suddenly seemed to forget about the fight. "A-Are you okay?"

Risuki was tightly grasping the sword, shaking violently as it forced more and more power into her body. She was barely able to stand up, and that little control only lasted a few seconds; she collapsed to her knees as her limbs started to spasm lightly, twitching with the immense amount of chakra. "This is... as much chakra as... the two-tailed..." She choked out. "I'm..."

"Risuki!" Ryu cursed inwardly at himself. "Why didn't I know this would happen? I have to stop this!" He ran up to her and grabbed her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

She pushed him away with a grunt. "No... Something's wrong..."

Ryu watched in shock as her fingernails started growing long and sharp, then her shiny green eyes slowly washed out into an ominous yellow color.

He knew what was going on now. "She's transforming. The sword... it's reacting with her body – with the two-tailed cat."

"Two-tailed..." The other boy's eyes widened and he started backing away. "You mean she..."

"Risuki!" Ryu shouted grabbed her arms. "Try to fight back, before you lose control, I can help."

"Lose control?" She didn't seem very happy about that thought, although it was hard to tell. She was almost writhing in pain, it was something she couldn't describe. "I'll try..."

The boy who had challenged them before just watched as the incredible power subsided, he felt a little guilty somehow because he had been the one to send the sword in her direction in the first place. When everything had calmed down and Ryu had the sword in his hands again, he decided it was safe.

He slowly approached them.

Risuki was leaning against the wall, completely exhausted. She didn't even have the strength to hold her own weapon. "Hey... his guard's down." She whispered at Ryu, who was worriedly tending to her.

Ryu sighed and rested the sword over his shoulder. The blade elongated, using its transforming ability, and poked their foe in the face, just enough to draw a few drops of blood.

"Do we pass?" She asked hoarsely.

He only nodded. "What just happened?"

Risuki and Ryu looked at each other.

"It's sort of a private matter, you understand right?" Ryu explained.

"But if she's a Jinchuuriki..."

"You know that word?" Ryu was totally shocked.

"Hey, Ryu." Risuki looked a little suspicious. "Is it really so rare for someone to know what a Jinchuuriki is?"

He nodded lightly.

"Then why do you know what it means? _I'm_ one and I didn't even know what that meant until you told me."

"I trained with Naruto and Jiraiya-sama a long time ago, remember?" He quickly answered.

* * *

**End of Chapter Thirty-Five**

Revised on Dec 23, 2011


	36. Only Half

**- Only Half -**

* * *

"It's been three days." Sasame groaned, she didn't know it would take this long to fix Osanai. "He's such a burden."

"Give him a break, I don't think he really wanted this to happen." Genka yawned. Even though it was late in the morning, she had just recently gotten out of bed. The big, plush, comfortable bed that was in each guest room at the Abunai mansion had refused to let her go. "I mean, I wouldn't want to be in a coma. It doesn't seem like a whole lot of fun."

"The doctors put him in the coma..."

"You get the point though." Genka sighed and waved her hand.

"Where's Mei?" Sasame looked around in the living room, she was nowhere to be seen. But this house was a place one could easily get lost – or lose oneself – in.

"She's... I don't really know where she is." Genka vainly mimicked Sasame in looking around the room.

"Yo!" Came the voice of the only male that had accompanied them. "Looking for Mei-chan?"

"Why couldn't we have gotten a decent man to come with us?" Genka twitched violently. "I would have settled for almost anyone but you, Jiraiya."

"That's a little harsh..." His eyebrow went up a little. "But anyway, Mei is out shopping right now."

"Really? I figured she'd be at the hospital by now." Sasame scratched her chin. "If something like this happened to... the guy I like, I'd want to be with him a lot more than that."

"Different people handle situations in different ways." Shuuzen offered. "Some people feel that they should be supportive and try to visit him in the hospital, like you, Sasame. Then there are others who feel the need to stay by his side no matter what, that's more like Hinata. But some people can't handle the feeling of being with their loved one at a time like this, so they try to distract themselves with other things."

"As expected of Shuuzen." Jiraiya nodded and stroked his chin. "Well said, well said indeed."

* * *

Mei was spending her time at the market, gathering various foods and ingredients. She was going to attempt to make dinner. It might be difficult with one arm but she was going to try anyway.

"Ah! Mei-chan!" She heard a somewhat familiar voice call out to her.

"Hm?" She turned around and saw the same blonde man from Osanai's room. "You're... Arashi-san?"

"You remember me!" He exclaimed happily. "That's good, I hate introductions. So I hear Osanai-kun..."

"Um..." She sighed slightly, "He's in the hospital right now."

"Ah, that's good to hear. How's he doing, still out of it?"

"Yeah, he's in a coma right now while Shuuzen-san and the doctors try to find out what's wrong with him."

"Ah... Shuuzen is a great doctor, and if she's with a team of other doctors, then there's a one-hundred percent chance he'll wake up."

"Thanks for that." She smiled happily.

"Thanks for what?" He faked a clueless expression then grinned. "Nah, don't even think about it."

"Hey, can you carry one of these bags for me?" She asked, leaning her head toward her good arm, which was slightly overloaded with groceries.

"Uhhh..." He stared at the bags for a second. "Sorry... but I um..." _I'm a ghost..._

"You won't carry an injured girl's bag?" She asked grumpily.

"It's not that... I just, er..." He took a step backward. "I'll explain later. But right now..."

"And here I thought you were a nice person." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Nyah."

"I _am_ a nice person." He argued in vain. "Normally, I would take all your bags. Really, I would. But right now, I really shouldn't."

"Is it a matter of life and death?" She asked suspiciously.

"Uhhh... Sorta." He was a little hesitant to answer. "But not really in the sense you're thinking of. Sorry..." _It's because I'm dead... is that a good reason?_

"Hmmmmm..." She eyed him, making him shrink nervously. "You're hiding something from me. Your body language says it all."

_Now that's ironic._ He laughed inwardly. _I have body language, just no body. Technically speaking. _"I'll tell you later, I just can't carry your groceries for you..."

Mei wasn't buying it, but she didn't have much of a choice. She just paid for her food and left the market, followed by Arashi.

"So how's he doing?" He asked curiously. "I haven't had a chance to come down here and check on him until now. I was wondering if..."

"I haven't told them anything." She confessed with a deep sigh. "I don't even know what to tell them. I mean, should I just say 'he's been sick for a long time, but he's been hiding it.'?"

"Well, you don't have to say it like that. You don't have to say anything at all. It's your choice; you can respect his wishes by keeping his secret, or you can betray his trust but possibly help save his life."

"Then it's an easy choice!" She exclaimed. "His life is more important. I made a promise not to tell, but if telling them will save him then..."

"A promise is an important thing, Mei... You shouldn't make such a decision so quickly." He chastised her gently.

"So, should I just wait and see what happens?" She asked slowly.

"Not necessarily." He grinned cryptically. "If you don't come forward and tell them, you might put his life in jeopardy."

"So I should tell them?" She was getting both confused and worried by now.

"I didn't say that. He might get better without you telling his secret. There's really no way to know, is there?"

"Then..." She reduced her pace to a slow walk and stared at the ground. "Which one is the right choice?"

"There is no right choice. And there is no such _thing_ as a 'right choice'." He answered, his voice was slow and clear. "In life, there are only wrong choices."

"Only wrong choices?" She looked at him strangely. "Then there's no such thing as a good person?"

"I wish it were that simple." He shook his head slowly and looked at the sky. "It's so unorthodox, and it goes against what we've always been taught ever since we were small children. The truth is 'sometimes two wrongs _can_ make a right'."

"What are you saying?" Her voice was dripping with confusion.

"I'm saying exactly what it sounds like. There's no right or wrong. There is no solid, definite line between them. There is no grey area. It's all just black, but sometimes adding more paint can wash it all away and make it white again. You should always make the choice that _you_ feel is the right one." He smiled. "The important thing is that it was your own choice, instead of hiding and being indecisive for your whole life."

"Then what's the difference between telling them and keeping his secret?"

"There is no difference." He answered seriously.

She was speechless. It wasn't because she was surprised or afraid, she just couldn't think of anything to say for a few moments. "I think... I might understand."

"Tell me what you think."

"What you're saying..." She started hesitantly. "I shouldn't worry about what happens. It's more important that I do what I think is right. I should follow my heart."

"You got it." He grinned and congratulated her. "You know, what I just told you... That was something his father once told me. Osanai-kun's father, that is. He was an extraordinary man."

"But he died with regret, that's what you told us."

"That's true." Arashi nodded. "But I think..."

"You think?"

"Well... thinking about it... You like O-san right?" He grinned knowingly.

She laughed nervously and shrunk down a little.

"Well, I think that his father will be able to rest peacefully because of you."

"Why me?" Mei looked a little surprised.

"You're softening Osanai. Because of you, he might see life a little is sick, yet he continues to give everything to help people around him. He always seems happy, and he does goof around and have fun. But he believes that the purpose of his life is to serve, and that he himself is less important than everyone else. I'm not saying that it's bad to help others, but he needs to live for himself, too."

"Yeah." She agreed, mumbling quietly.

He laughed a little. "I'm sure you'll made a good choice."

"You said there's no such thing as a good choice..."

"I did not!" He defended, grinning and holding up his hands. "I said there's no 'right choice'. I didn't mention anything about good or bad choices."

"So the whole lecture you gave me... was pointless?"

"Of course not!"

* * *

"We're finally here!" Naruto cheered as they walked down the boarding ramp. "Oi, Tenkou!"

"What?" He called back from the ship's deck.

"Make sure you don't leave without us!"

"Sure thing." He nodded and waved. "Have fun finding your guy!"

Naruto and Hinata made their way past the surprisingly busy group of tourists. Skiing season in the northernmost peaks of Snow country, that was the reason for most of the people there. But Naruto and Hinata were looking for someone – anything but that would have to wait until their mission was complete.

"Where do we go?" She asked curiously, looking out over the pure white landscape in front of them. The majority of the area around them seemed very hilly, there was very little flat land anywhere.

"Ryoku's house is over there." He pointed off in one direction.

Hinata's face turned a little blue when she saw what he was pointing at. "He lives... there?"

"Deep in the mountains." Naruto confirmed. "It's a bit of a walk, but we can do it." That was an understatement. The tiny speck that was Ryoku's house was several miles deep into the mountains, where the snow was falling heavily and the wind seemed to be able to lift a small human.

"Auuu..." She curled her arms around her a little. "If we walk there, we'll freeze. Scientists will thaw us out in a few hundred years and use our cold, lifeless bodies for research."

"Hehe..." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I guess you're right. I never thought about it, but normal people can't take the cold as well as Ryoku and I can."

"So what do we do now?" She half-whined. "You can't leave me here."

He laughed a little more. "You act kinda cute when you're freezing."

"..." She glared at him for a second. "It's cute to you, but It's no basket of kittens on my end."

"Well..." He looked thoughtful for a minute. "How will we do this, I wonder...? I need some brain food!"

Within five minutes, they had found a restaurant that sold ramen. Hinata downed the hot broth and noodles at a pace that could rival Naruto on a slow day. The warm restaurant felt good, and the hot food even better. "So what now?" She asked once she was satisfied by the warmth her dish had to offer.

"Well, we obviously can't walk, no matter what we do." He sighed.

Hinata slumped over and groaned lightly. After a minute or two, she spotted another couple that seemed about the same age. What caught her attention were the skis that the couple had just leaned against the wall while they ate. "Do you think we have enough money to rent some skis?"

"What, you want to ski to his house?" He asked, a little surprised. "I don't think that's even possible."

"No, not that." She shook her head and smiled. "While we're here waiting for some kind of idea, we can always have some fun too."

"Um... I guess it's okay. But I don't know how much it'll cost us. It's kind of a rich person's vacation activity, we might only be able to afford even one." He thought out loud. "But don't you think we should be a little more focused?"

"Stop saying things that I would normally say." She ordered.

"But... we had enough fun on the boat." He argued. "And that was when it wouldn't make any difference to the length of our trip. But skiing?"

"Shut up and let's go to the slopes!"

"Um..." He groaned. "I have a bad feeling about this. Speaking of which... why am I the one being rational?"

"Because you were in this place for almost a year, there's nothing special or new to you." Hinata answered. "But in Konoha, we get a half-decent snow only once every few years. This is all so exciting for me!" She had a broad smile plastered to her small face.

Naruto shut up and smiled broadly. "That's not fair, but... if it makes you happy."

* * *

"This is it...?" Kiba stared up at the towering falls. "This is where the entrance used to be?"

"When we were attacking, we were able to get past it without too much trouble, we also burrowed tunnels underneath the mountain to get in behind them." Neji ensured. "And with my Byakugan, it should be a simple feat finding the correct path through the waterfall."

"But this much..." Hanabi stared upward, trying to find the top of the waterfall. "If we mess up... the base of the falls is like a giant blender..."

Akamaru whined and backed up a little.

"Uhh..." Kiba scratched his back. "Neji, first look inside the mountain and tell me what you see."

"That's not a bad idea!" Hanabi quickly agreed. "Just to be sure."

"You guys are just afraid of dying..." Neji glared at them. "You're hopeless."

"Of course we're afraid of dying!" They both yelled in unison.

Neji sighed. The whole situation was hopeless. "Whatever..." He grunted and went through the hand seals. To say that the seals were second nature to him would be a critical understatement.

After a few seconds, he gasped and dropped his jaw. "That's impossible..."

"What's impossible?" Hanabi asked impatiently.

"The village..." He hesitated for a moment to think of the right way to say this. "It's alive! They... did Konoha's attack even have an effect on them? If anything, they're better off than before we attacked."

"What do you mean?" Kiba was confused like he had never been before.

"The best way to tell if someone is a Shinobi is the state of their chakra system. If they have a strong and developed system, they're most likely Shinobi or someone else who uses chakra." He explained. "And fifty percent of the population here has a highly trained chakra system. And there are hundreds – no, thousands of them!"

"Hey. Neji?" Kiba poked at his friend's shoulder. "How many of them are about to jump on top of us?"

"Eight..." Neji counted. "Damn, I didn't notice that."

"Yeah... here they come." Kiba sighed. "Looks like we'll be having an interesting time here."

Part of the falls diverted for a few seconds, making a path that anyone could follow easily. Seven Waterfall-nins jumped out of the opening in the blink of an eye and surrounded the trio."

"Hey... they're from Konoha..." One of them realized. "What are you doing here?"

"Have you seen-" Kiba started, but was quickly cut off.

"We're asking the questions here!" Another one interrupted. "What is your purpose of coming to our peaceful village? You've already attacked us once, isn't that enough for you?"

"Listen, we're not here on village business." Neji explained a little. "It's a simple mission, we're just looking for some people. The last sighting was somewhere around this area."

The guards seemed to relax a little, but they definitely didn't seem like they would let the three away without a more elaborate explanation. "Tell us the purpose of this mission."

"If you're allies of them, please don't misunderstand." Neji warned. "We aren't looking for them for Konoha, this is a personal matter of our employer, Hyuuga Hanabi-sama."

One of the guards nodded. "Go on..."

"The people we're searching for are Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto." Neji revealed. "Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't tell you anything at all. But this is a... special situation."

"You're looking for them?" They all looked a little shocked. "We've never seen them!"

"Your lie is quite obvious..." Neji said with a sigh. "You're protecting him, and that means he must be inside this village. So if you'll please let us in..."

"No!" The apparent captain of the group sternly denied entrance. "We won't let people like you in."

"You weren't paying attention, were you?" Neji growled. "In case you didn't notice. Both Hanabi-sama and I are Hyuugas!"

"Hinata is my sister..." Hanabi told them. "I thought she was dead for over a year... until just recently when our father was murdered."

"S-sister?" the captain hesitated a moment. "Hyuuga Hanabi... the heir to the Hyuuga main family."

"Thanks for reminding us. We'd almost forgotten." Neji groaned sarcastically. "Are you going to let us in or what?"

"Uh..." The guard started to sweat a little. "If I don't allow you in, what happens then?" _We can't beat the Hyuuga heiress AND her bodyguards. That's like suicide!_

"We..." Neji thought for a second. "Technically... we don't have any evidence that the ones we're looking for are in this village, and we're also on a peaceful mission with no permission to start hostilities."

"Neji!" Hanabi yelped. "What are you saying?"

"But what reason do you have to detain us?" Neji asked with a smirk.

"Um..." The head guard couldn't believe how stupid that question was, and it was supposed to sound smart. "Kid... you guys tried to kill us all a while back."

"Oh..." Neji realized that the man had a point – and he wondered why on earth he hadn't figured that would be the reason.

"But..." The guard looked a little thoughtful. They had all relaxed by now, neither side expected a surprise attack.

"Hyuuga Neji..." A deep voice sighed. "Don't worry, guys. I'll handle him."

"Yes sir!" The guard obeyed orders. "Jiraiya-sama, please don't do anything too rash."

"J-Jira..." Neji couldn't believe his ears. It was simply inconceivable, how could Jiraiya be working with Waterfall? _It must be a different Jiraiya... it must be._

But after a few moments, a dramatic cloud of smoke exploded in front of the Hyuuga team and the guards disappeared. In their place, a lone man stepped from the dust. White hair, tattoos on his face, it was definitely...

"Jiraiya!" The Hyuuga boy blinked once to clear his eyes, in case his vision was impaired in some way. But it was true, this was _the_ Jiraiya. "W... Wha..."

"Neji..." The legendary man frowned at the team. "Hanabi, Kiba. I'm afraid you three must leave now... or you'll-"

"Be forced to leave?" Neji chuckled. "That's not much of a threat."

"No, that's not." Jiraiya agreed. "But that's not what I was going to say."

"Huh?"

"Leave now, or you'll be killed." His head leaned forward ever so slightly, just enough to bathe his face in an intimidating shadow. "I cannot allow anyone to interfere. It doesn't matter what your intentions are. If you want to help them or to destroy them, I don't care. But you, as Konoha-nins, must never get close to Naruto or Hinata until they come to you."

"What?"

"Right now, you are an obstacle. You should go peacefully and never seek those two again. The lives of three children are a small price to pay for their cause. You don't understand the situation. This is something so huge that I doubt Naruto and Hinata even know the full scope of it."

"We're not as weak as you think..." Neji growled threateningly. "And it's four against one."

"You kids..." Jiraiya was starting to lose his patience. "I don't really care about anything going on in the world. But this... this is something I would die to bring to pass, and I will support it until my end comes."

"Is it a just cause?" Neji asked quietly. "If it is, then we will help!"

"It is as I said; you are Naruto's obstacle. You are his enemy, act like it. Hopefully you'll live to see the day when you are once again friends. Until then, you must fight against them, for their own good. And when I say fight... I mean _fight._"

"You... you never spoke of death so easily."

"Never around you, maybe. But I've killed hundreds, maybe thousands. I can eliminate a measly threat such as yours with the snap of my fingers."

"Then why don't you fight us for Naruto?" Neji was both angry and confused.

"Neji... I have nothing against you, and the same goes for Hanabi and Kiba. But you must understand..." The old man paused for a moment to pick the right words. "Those two have injected themselves into the center of the biggest thing to happen to the world since the Great Shinobi War. But so far, their road has been smooth and stable. They haven't fought a true enemy yet. They _need_ barriers to break, obstacles to overcome. If you fight them as their friends, you will not be doing them any favors – you might even get them killed in the long run."

"But why us?" Neji asked. "Why must we be willing to kill our friends and family?"

"Call it a reality check. They've had it smooth-sailing so far, they need a bump in the road before they get careless. They need to realize again that their friends from home are now their mortal enemies. They don't have the strength to kill, but you, Neji, do have that strength. You must teach it to them through battle. Wait for them to seek you, then remind them of the way of a Shinobi."

Neji and the others stood silently. They all understood to some extent, but none of them knew what to do. They only stood there with their heads low while Jiraiya walked into the village.

When he was hidden away from Neji's group, he found Genka and Mei in the tunnel behind the waterfall.

"I guess it's a good thing you came after all." Genka sighed as Jiraiya entered the tunnel. "But right now, we need to find Osanai's medicine."

"Yeah..." Mei whispered. In her head, she wasn't sure if this was the right choice. But everything else inside her screamed that it was.

* * *

"Osanai?" Shuuzen was surprised, very surprised. The doctors had tried an experimental treatment and taken him out of the coma, and he had awoken on his own within half an hour. "It actually worked."

"Shuuzen?" He mumbled, still a little groggy. "Where am I?"

"Ah, Osanai." A vaguely familiar voice chimed in from the door. "It's good to see you again."

"You're... Kenta-san?" He blinked in surprise. "But you're the director at that hospital- oh..."

"Your body isn't in the best shape, kid." He bluntly stated. "Your organs are dying and we don't have a clue why. We know that you've had this disease for a long time and at this rate, you'll die within a few weeks."

"Thanks for being straightforward." He sighed. "Only you came, Shuuzen?"

"No, Mei and the others went back to the village to get your medicine. We need to find out what's in it. She said you told her that 'the medicine is the illness and'-."

"'and the illness... is the medicine'..." He was staring at Shuuzen with wide eyes. _She promised..._

"Is something wrong?"

"No." He shook his head after a few seconds of calming down. "Nothing at all."

* * *

"Really..." A middle-aged man sighed. "I never thought I'd see Risuki-chan again."

"He calls you 'chan'?" Ryu giggled uncontrollably.

"I was didn't care back then." Her eyebrows were twitching violently. "Please do _not_ call me that, Atsui-sama." Despite the title she addressed him with, her tone and attitude were less than respectful.

"Ahaha, sorry, sorry." He grinned. "But what exactly brings you back anyway? And I see you've got a new friend too."

"This is Ryu." She introduced him, short and bittersweet.

"Hey... I think I deserve a bit more of an introduction than that..."

"He's my lover." She added nonchalantly.

"That's not what I meant..." He drooped his head a little.

"And he's the reason I'm a normal-ish girl now." She groaned.

"I give up..." He stared at her, a little annoyed at her lack of any tact whatever.

"So..." The man injected. "You fell in love?"

Risuki blushed and nodded. "Yeah..."

"Ahh... so it's true..." He smiled happily, clasped his hands and closed his eyes. "Love truly can change any soul."

Ryu, Risuki and the still unnamed bodyguard boy who had "tested" them all fell onto the floor in exasperation.

"Hey, Risuki?" Ryu leaned over a little. "Exactly how gay is he?"

"Trust me, he's not gay." She whispered back. "While he may be like this a lot of the time, he can be very scary too."

"Sorry about that." He snapped back into normality. "What was it that you needed from me?"

"A job, actually." Risuki said with a smile. "Is there any way you could line us up?"

"A job?" He pondered. "I know you're very capable, Risuki. But your boyfriend doesn't seem all that reliable."

"He's just new to the slums." She said with a spunky wave of her hand. "He adapts fast, give him a week and he'll be even sneakier and more underhanded than me. And he's not half-bad with a sword."

"Or any weapon, for that matter." Ryu interrupted. "I've mastered almost every weapon in the continent."

"Hmmm..." Atsui rubbed his chin. "Risuki, before you didn't mind killing people at all... but you've changed now."

"Yeah." She looked a tiny bit ashamed. "I don't kill anymore, not since I met Ryu."

"I'm glad." Atsui smiled, surprising all three teens present. "You weren't happy then, but you seem to be now."

"But... what about a job?" She reminded him, then leaned over to Ryu and whispered. "Atsui-sama has a short attention span. Or... he pretends to have a short attention span."

"Ah, yes!" He raised his pointer finger as if he had just remembered something. "You two would be welcome in my army, but I must be careful with the new kid, Ryu or whatever your name was. No offense though."

"Not at all." Ryu dismissed it. "I understand, I have to get used to this kind of work right?"

"Something like that..." Atsui grinned, making Ryu feel a little nervous. He turned to Risuki to find out what he meant, but she was trying to hold back a laugh. "Risuki... what's so funny?"

"Nothing..." She replied lightly. "Nothing at all."

"If that's it, why don't you take them to their rooms?" He asked the black-haired teen that had tested them. "They need to move in. Oh, and I'm expecting some company from a business associate of mine as well, prepare a room for him and his entourage please."

"Yes." He bowed and stood up. "Follow me."

Ryu stood up and helped Risuki to her feet. She was still a little weak from the energy burst she had received from his sword a few days ago, so she leaned against him once she was standing. "Sorry about this... but could you help me to the room?"

"Room?" Atsui was a little surprised. "Just one?"

"Yeah." Risuki turned her head to Atsui. "It's not what you think, I just know how much you love efficiency and all."

Atsui chuckled and sent them on their way. He knew that Risuki could easily make it to the room on her own, but his own heart felt a little warmer to see her so happy with someone. He had a weakness for romance, and as such was the only mob boss you'd ever find who read fluffy novels and watched romance movies.

"So, you still haven't told us your name." Ryu told the tester from before.

"I don't have one." He answered quietly. Ever since they had 'defeated' him, his attitude had been different, not as happy as it seemed to be while they were fighting. And they'd had to wait three days in a hotel anyway, because Atsui wasn't even in town. "I used to have a name, but that was before... I'll tell you later, I need to prepare a few more rooms."

"Okay." Ryu and Risuki nodded.

They got to their room and the nameless teen walked away after giving them the key. They walked in before Risuki slipped out of Ryu's arms and landed on a somewhat soft bed. "You've got a few questions to answer."

"There's not a whole lot to say." He sighed and leaned against the wall. "You seem to have figured out most of it anyway."

"So..." She thought back a little. "The sword isn't just _any_ monster. But it's one of the Nine?"

Ryu nodded.

"And your master created the sword to hold it?"

"Something like that." He nodded, only slightly less easily this time.

"And you're..."

"I'm the seal." He answered plainly. "I'm the part that keeps it in, the physical manifestation of its existence and its presence."

"Wait..." Her eyes widened just a little. "You're the seal? You told me that Naruto has a seal on his stomach... but you don't have one..."

"I _am_ one." He confirmed with a nod and a solemn expression. "Some people would say..."

"That you're not human?" She finished his sentence with a small frown.

"They would be right, too." He sighed heavily and deeply. "Well, only half right. You see... I'm only half human.

* * *

Revised on 2-8-2012


	37. Sad Confession

-Sad Confession-

* * *

_Since when was a promise something meant not to be kept?_ That was the question plaguing Osanai's mind ever since Shuuzen told him about Mei's 'betrayal' – how she spilled his secret.

Shuuzen didn't seem to know it was a secret though, and the doctors were just thrilled that they had new information – and told him that he should be as well, because it could well save his life.

Saving his life is great and all, and he didn't mind them knowing about his illness; he would have told them himself. But she had broken her promise. She had seen him choke on his own blood, watched him swallow the remedy, and then she had promised not to tell anyone. But what did that mean now?

"Shuuzen... how long have I been out?" He asked. It had been an hour or so since he had awoken.

She looked at him for a second before answering. "Almost a week."

"A week..." He sighed. That was how long she had kept the secret. "When do you think the others will be back?"

"They left about five or six hours ago, Waterfall isn't very far from here so they should be back soon."

"Soon?" They heard Jiraiya's deep voice from outside Osanai's room. "Try a few seconds."

"Jiraiya-sama." Shuuzen addressed him politely, as she does for everyone, after she stood up to open the door. "Did you find it?"

"Yeah, I gave it to the nurse." He answered. "How's he doing?"

"He's doing very well." She smiled and stepped aside so Jiraiya could see Osanai.

"Ah, that's good to hear." He folded his arms and nodded suspiciously. "I'll go gather some information for my training. You'll see me later tonight (unless I'm gettin' busy)."

"Jiraiya-sama..." Osanai could hear Mei chuckle awkwardly. "That last part wasn't necessary."

"I'm getting hungry, haven't eaten since yesterday." Shuuzen chimed in with Jiraiya. They were both trying to get the two teens some time alone, and it was dreadfully obvious to Osanai. Mei didn't seem to have a clue, but she didn't even know he was awake yet. The adults made haste and left, leaving Mei with an annoyed expression as she walked into Osanai's room.

But that expression didn't last long. She saw him sitting up on the hospital bed, staring strangely at her. It took a few seconds to register in her head that he was awake. When she realized this, her face shifted from annoyed to shocked.

"You told them." He whispered solemnly.

"Osanai..." She murmured in a quiet voice and closed the door behind her. "I'm sorry, I couldn't let myself..."

"Why?"

"Because you were dying!" She almost shouted this time. "For a week, the doctors weren't even sure they'd be able to keep you alive. It was driving me crazy, there was nothing I could do. I didn't want you to die before I could repay you for everything..."

If he hadn't been in such a bad mood, he probably would have wondered why she cared so much. "But I'm not dead, and they haven't even looked at that medicine yet."

"I couldn't stand to think you'd never wake up... But they said you would die by the day after tomorrow if we didn't do anything." She explained. "I know that I didn't have to, but I wanted to help you."

He was a little surprised. People in her situation would normally be making the "I had to" excuse, yet she claimed full responsibility for her choice.

"Listen..." She slowed down a little. "I've just been dragging my feet all week. I didn't want to admit that you might die, but I didn't want to get my hopes up either. So I just hid from reality and didn't do anything. But I wasn't keeping your promise that way either."

"What do you mean?"

"If I'm just hiding, I'm not choosing to keep your secret. I realized that I had to make a choice." Her voice was barely above a whisper by now. "I could keep the promise and hope you would wake up, or I could break it and hope you would forgive me. When I thought of it like that, I knew what to do. But now you're better..."

He let out a heavy, painful sigh and cringed a little from the sharp pain in his lungs. "Apparently, I'm not better." He groaned. "Shuuzen said that I still only have a few weeks at this rate."

"Are you really okay with that?"

He shook his head. "It's a fact of life, we all die. I want to live a longer life, to serve as Hero a little longer. But this might be where it ends for me."

"How can you accept that? You're only sixteen, you can't say you're satisfied with such a short life! Isn't there anything you've dreamed to do that you haven't done yet? Goals you haven't reached?"

"A few, yes..." He closed his eyes and leaned back into his big pillow. "I have dreams to chase, but I can still chase them in the next life."

"But _I'm_ not in the next life!" She blurted, then immediately turned a little red after grasping what she just said. "I mean..."

"What's that mean?" He asked curiously as his eyes slowly grew wider. "You..."

She blushed a little more. "It doesn't mean anything."

"It means something." He gave her a suspicious glare.

She was taken aback by the look he gave her. It was a sarcastic expression, his impending death really didn't phase him at all. "How can you be so carefree in a situation like this? Sasame said you like me, but if that's true then how could you be able to say things like 'I'm not afraid to die, it's my fate' while I'm right here?"

This time it was his time to blush. "Yeah, I forgot that you knew about that..."

"It doesn't matter what she said or who you like. But you shouldn't give up so easily." Her voice started to gradually grow louder. "You're doing just what I did, you're hiding and doing nothing."

"I'm not..." He sighed. "What other options do I have? Die quickly or prolong it?" He challenged. "I can't just _live_ anymore. My body is falling apart, it's an irreversible process that the best Waterfall medics in the past two thousand years couldn't stop."

"But you can try!"

"What will that give me? I'll only keep living knowing that I could die at any moment."

"A short life is better than nothing..." She was becoming quieter again, more of a sad quiet this time instead of the ashamed quiet from before. "you have to..."

She was surprised by herself, surprised that she wasn't crying by this point. She wasn't sure, but there was probably a tear or two hanging in her eyes. She didn't pay attention to that as she stood looking at Osanai lying in his bed, content to just disappear. Without sending the command to her legs, she stepped forward, then another step, then another.

Osanai sat up again and sighed pitifully. "What's the big deal? Why is it so important to you that I live?"

"You're supposed to protect me, remember?" She slyly avoided the question. "You can't die while I'm here."

"I don't think your dad planned on this happening."

"But..." She gave up, there wasn't anything else she could do to convince him. But something inside her screamed that there was one thing to do. On thing she _had_ to do. "I need you... I_ need _you!"

The tears were finally released. A second later, Osanai was shocked stiff, she wrapped her good arm around him and held tightly. He managed to loosen up enough to look at his shoulder; her long hair covered her face, so the only thing he perceived was the sound of her loud sobs.

"Mei..." He murmured. "Wh..."

Several minutes passed before she was able to speak again. She pulled her face away from Osanai's tear-soaked shoulder and stared at him, pleading through her eyes. "Even if it's only for a little while, even if it only lasts a week, please live... and let me..."

She slowly, ever so slowly, raised her left arm. She cringed the tiniest bit, and he knew she was in pain. An eternity later, her left hand reached his face. He raised his own arm without thinking, to hold hers, to support it so she wouldn't have to struggle to keep her hand up.

"Osanai... Even if you're right, even if you die tomorrow, I'd be happy knowing that you still tried to live. I just can't understand why someone as strong as you could just sit here and do nothing."

"Mei..." His eyes changed a little – with a little more color and a little more hope - as he realized something. "This... is this really that important to you?" He asked as he put her hand down in his lap.

She nodded and smiled.

"And..." He continued hesitantly. "You... like me?"

She had to laugh lightly at that. "Everyone else already figured it out, I had to cry on your shoulder for you to get it."

"So you like me..." He looked a little shocked as he stared forward. "Ever since...?"

"I don't really know." She answered, surprised that she wasn't sure herself. "Maybe I always did."

"So..." He wasn't quite sure what to do. "What now?"

"You need to decide yourself." She gave him a half smile. "Live life to its fullest or sit and die."

"Even knowing I might die soon, would you stay in Waterfall with us if I try to fight it?"

"With 'us'?"

"With me." He corrected himself. "If I live, will you stay in Waterfall with... _with me?_" Now he felt a little close to crying. Honestly, he wanted to, but to cry in front of Mei? That he didn't want to do, he felt too manly to do that.

"You have the right attitude." She smiled a little and gave him a sly look. "But you're still saying '_if_'. That's not the right way to put it."

He rolled his eyes and chuckled. "When I recover, will you... do I even need to ask at this point?"

"Nope." Mei chuckled and looked down a little.

Now you see, she had always hated the paper hospital clothes in the past. They're uncomfortable and just downright embarrassing to wear – but now she wasn't really sure if she hated them or not. She blushed lightly and laughed at him. "You got turned on by all that?"

"Where are you looking?" He shouted and pulled a blanket over himself. "Jeez, a little privacy?"

"This is a hospital, there's no such thing as privacy here." She giggled mischievously. "But you know... I kind of ruined an opportunity just now."

"What's that?"

"I could have..." She blushed intensely. "Um..."

"Ah." He chuckled this time. "You mean this?"

She didn't resist in the slightest, mostly because she was so shocked. She didn't even realize what was happening until their lips had been pressed together for several seconds. Even then, she didn't try to fight it, but made sure she contributed to the kiss as much as he did. It had been what she wanted.

* * *

"What now?" Kiba stared at the ground, scratching random scribbles into the dirt with his fingernails.

"I think we should do what he said." Neji answered after a moment's thought. "Jiraiya is much more than he lets others believe, smarter, stronger, wiser. And he _meant_ everything he told us."

"So... what now?" Kiba asked again. "He said we can't go looking for them, but we have to be his opposition somehow."

"I think he meant that we shouldn't just seek him anymore." Neji responded, not really clearing up the question. "I mean, we need to _hunt _him now. It's no longer a peaceful mission for Hanabi-sama."

"I'm not so sure, it sounded like he was telling us to wait for him to show up on our doorstep."

"We should send a message to Konoha." Hanabi spoke up. "To tell them about the change in plan. They should at least know."

"Yes... but don't tell them why." Neji warned. "Even though something tells me the Hokage knows that Jiraiya-sama doesn't serve Konoha anymore."

"Makes sense to me." Kiba agreed. "I mean, Hokage-sama _is_ the head honcho and all."

"So we'll send a message in the morning." Hanabi declared. "For now though, where do you think they could be?" She looked at Kiba. "Any ideas, you're the expert tracker."

"Yeah... one idea." He scratched his chin. "That rain-nin that we saw in Kazekage's office. He was with Naruto, I told you that right?"

Neji and Hanabi nodded.

"So... I think we should go to Rain country for a little more information. Rain and Konoha might not be on the best of terms, but we should be able to ask a few questions at least."

"In these times of political tension?" Neji asked. "I don't think so."

"Well let's just go dig around a little." He said anyway. "We should at least go take a second look at that house from before."

* * *

"So the Hyuuga kids are looking for them now?" Genka scratched her chin. "And you told them to oppose Naruto for the world's sake."

"That's right." Jiraiya nodded importantly. "You understand the situation as well as I do, I'm sure."

"But Naruto and Hinata don't." She shook her head a little sadly. "They know it's something that the entire world is riding on, but they can't wrap their heads around it."

"And I fear that there's more behind this than we first expected." Jiraiya groaned. "I should've stayed in Konoha, that way I wouldn't have to worry about all this."

"That's really inspiring, sensei." Arashi laughed sarcastically. "But I believe in them, they can pull off anything if they try."

"You always were really optimistic, Arashi..." Jiraiya glared at his old student's ghost. "Really, you were."

"But was I ever wrong?" He responded with a challenging tone.

"Yeah, how about that time when you _died?_"

"That doesn't count." He waved his hand, brushing it off. "Remember when I said 'Don't worry, I'll be fine,'? Yeah, that was totally a lie."

_Arashi! _He heard a familiar voice in his head - Something that nobody else in the room could hear.

"H-Hana?" He Blinked in surprise. "You just keep showing up at the most random times..."

"Hana?" Jiraiya's eyes widened. "That's the name of..."

"It's really confusing." Arashi grinned nervously. "I still have ties with the other side, so I can see her when she sends her soul to this world."

"She made it to the other side?" Jiraiya was even more surprised. "All that time ago, it really worked?"

"Yep, sure did." He grinned. "Naruto's been there once or twice too, but he left his body here every time, so he had something to come back to."

"Then that means Naruto..."

"Yep, he's got special powers." Arashi grinned. "He's even more special that I thought seventeen years ago."

_Arashi! _Hana interrupted. _This isn't a time to ignore me._

"Oh, Hana. Sorry about that, Jiraiya-sensei interrupted us. What were you saying?"

_The Tenshi no Moui bloodline. You know how we thought there were two living seventh generation descendants of it?_

"Yeah..."

_We were wrong! _She screamed in his head. _There are FOUR._

"What's the problem with that?"

_While we don't have to worry about the Third, the Fourth is likely to activate the Akutenshi form. Do you have any idea how much more powerful Akutenshi is than the normal form?_

"No..."

_Well, think of it like this. _She started explaining. _Imagine a Genin, then imagine yourself at the prime of your life, when you were the absolute strongest.  
_

"Yeah..."

_The difference in power is something like that. _She finished.

"So?"

_ARE YOU INSANE?_

"Some have said that, yes." He laughed happily for a few seconds, then waved his finger as if correcting her. "But I was thinking of a specific Genin, the one that's already carrying the fate of the world as it is. Besides that, I also know when you're exaggerating."

* * *

"This seems a little more dangerous from the top than it did from the bottom..." Naruto cringed as he stood at the top of the intermediate slope. Yes, the intermediate one, one step above the bunny slope.

Hinata giggled from behind him. "You're a ninja, you risk your life every day. Something like this should be easy."

"How are you not scared of this?" Naruto pointed down the hill.

"It's not scary!" She laughed aloud.

"Well maybe not to you, but you didn't get_ buried in the snow for a day_ before Ryoku found you." He rattled off quickly. "I don't want to get buried again."

"I'll dig you up, now go!" She shoved him over the edge as the other vacationers laughed at the sight.

Hinata jumped down after him and yelled with glee, this was just plain fun! She laughed even more as she caught Naruto trying to find his balance after she pushed him down. "It's not that hard!"

Naruto wasn't going to let the intermediate slope win. After all, it was the _intermediate_ slope. But unfortunately, he was focusing a little _too much_ on the slope and not enough on the people _using_ it.

Hinata saw a figure flying down from the direction of the 'somewhat more advanced slope' at the very last second. The figure was riding a snowboard. Naruto and Hinata had seen those as well, and were presented with them as an option, but figured they were a bit too extreme for beginners. (even thought they _were_ Shinobi)

Naruto and the snowboarder collided and flipped over in the snow together in a most comical way. Once Hinata was able to tell from her point of view that nobody was hurt, she took the chance to laugh at the sight.

Naruto groaned. He wasn't injured, but that still hadn't been a very enjoyable experience. He opened his eyes and yelped. "Hey!"

He and a brunette girl tumbled into the snow together, landing in a very 'friendly' position, face-to-face and barely two inches away. "You're kind of handsome." She informed him. "And you look a little familiar..."

It was now that Hinata reached the landing site, and immediately she started twitching.

"Get off of me." Naruto complained and pushed the girl away. "What's wrong with you?"

Hinata sighed with relief and sat down next to Naruto, taking his arm and glaring suspiciously at this other girl to make it obvious that he was taken. But after a few seconds, she felt a little silly.

"Sorry, I was just trying to figure out where I've seen you before." She crossed her legs and sat down, staring at him and rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Wait a sec... You're that guy that stayed with Ryo last year."

Naruto was suddenly interested in what this girl had to say. "Ryo? Ryoku?"

"Yeah, he's my older brother's friend." She nodded. "I saw you there once or twice... but you were real quiet."

"I wasn't feeling good." Naruto laughed a little nervously. "So do you know how to get to his house without freezing your butt off?"

"Most people can't, but I grew up here so I'm used to it." She said simply. "Wait... you can get there too, can't you?"

"I can, but Hinata can't." Naruto answered honestly. "We don't want to get split up - bad things happen whenever we do."

"Well, Ryo's in Rain country for a while anyway." The girl looked at the sky and poked at her chin thoughtfully. "He's been gone for a few months, as a matter of fact."

Naruto looked a little dumbfounded. "We came all this way... all for nothing?"

"Well, you can talk to my brother. His house is a lot easier to get to." She stated happily. "I'll take you there."

"I guess so." Naruto stood up again to find his rented skis. Fortunately, they were still in good shape, so he managed to get to the end of the trail without crashing into anyone else while the girl made riding a snowboard look easier than breathing.

"Oh, yeah." Hinata remembered after returning their skis. "What's your name?"

"Me?" She asked, looking back over her shoulder. "I'm Sasaki."

"Nice to meet you, Sasaki." Naruto grinned. "Thanks for helping us out."

"Oh, Sasaki-chan?" A male voice asked. "You're back already?"

"Yeah!" She shouted. The owner of the voice stepped forward and patted her on the head. "Stop treating me like a kid..." She grumbled childishly.

"Until you turn eighteen, you are a kid." He laughed heartily and took her snowboard. "I'll put this away for you, but who're your frie-" He stopped once he recognized Naruto's face. "You're that quiet kid."

Naruto groaned and dropped his head. "Why do they all remember me like that?"

"That means..." The man turned to Naruto's companion with a curious expression. "You must be that girl that Ryoku was talking about."

"I guess so." She smiled a little. "I'm Hyuuga Hinata."

He looked at her a little harder and stroked his chin in suspicion. "You say Hyuuga, but your eyes look normal."

"I don't really understand why, but they've been like that for about a month." She explained. "I can still use Byakugan though."

"So..." He folded his arms. "Naruto, the quiet kid that was training with Ryoku, managed to get a girl like you. And not just any girl, but a Hyuuga on top of that... I guess it's not really my business." He shrugged. "You guys look like you need a place to stay tonight. Come on to my house.

"It's still one o-clock in the afternoon." Naruto said confusedly.

"Daylight lasts until almost midnight during our summers, but it's winter now, and I live on the east side of the mountains. The sun sets in the early afternoon." He explained. "Oh, I'm Sasaki's older brother. The name's Kentou."

"Thank you, Kentou-san." Hinata smiled. "We appreciate your offer, are you sure it isn't too much trouble?"

"No, no it's fine." He grinned. "Anything I can do to help."

"Wait... I remember you now. Your eyes..." Naruto sounded like he had just recalled something really exciting as he pointed at Kentou.

"Yeah, they're weird aren't they?" He laughed a little. "They've always been red like this."

"Hmm?" Hinata looked a little more closely. "I didn't even notice. Kurenai-sensei had red eyes too, I'm used to it."

"I guess there are others too." He shrugged. "Yeah, I was at Ryo's place a few times while you were living there. When he came back after dropping you off in rain, he told me some interesting things, I need to ask you some questions about that."

"Uh... okay."

* * *

"You know, Mei... you're lucky." Sasame said with a somewhat solemn smile and a tear hanging in her eye. They were sitting in Osanai's room as he slept. He was put under some heavy anesthesia by the doctors after they had asked him all the questions they needed. "The one you love... he loves you too. The only reason he's willing to give life a shot is because he can spend it with you."

"I wouldn't go so far to say he _loves _me..." Mei blushed a little. "I mean..."

"Of course he loves you. He's been in love with you ever since the day he met you. It was all he could think about, he couldn't even sleep because he was trying to figure out how he could make you trust him."

Mei smiled and looked at his sleeping face. "I'd rather hear it from him though, you know? Even if I know his real feelings, I think it would be better..." She giggled and smiled a little more. "I'd give anything to hear him say that, wouldn't you?"

"The one I love?" Sasame asked, caught off guard by the question. "I don't want to hear him say it, because when he does, I know he's only saying it to Hinata." That tear that had been dangling in the corner of her eye threatened to come loose and bring the floodgates down with it. "He'll never love me..."

"How do you know that?" Mei smiled supportively. "Have you even tried to win him over?"

"No, I couldn't do that to her... I couldn't do that to him! They're so happy together."

"Sasame, you love him right?" She asked. Sasame slowly nodded, so she continued. "How do you know he won't be just as happy with you? What if he'll be happier?"

Not the best advice in the world.

"You don't know them. sometimes I think there's never been a happier couple in the world."

"So you can't do anything?" Mei asked slowly. "Are you really okay like that?"

"No..." Sasame confessed. "I don't want to hurt them though."

"You don't? Is that really true?"

Sasame didn't want to think about this. She didn't want to know what her own answers would be, but now that she had been asked directly, she realized exactly what she really wanted. "No... it's not." She whimpered as the tears finally escaped. "I'll do anything to get close to him..."

Mei watched in pity as Sasame started weeping lightly. _Sasame... I thought she'd be everything a man would want in a girl. She's friendly and pretty, She knows when someone's feeling down, and knows how to help them... And her breasts are really big... speaking of which, her body seems to be perfect. I'm a little jealous of that._

"Sasame..."

"Hmm?" She asked between sobs.

"You should at least try..." She tried to comfort the crying girl. "You're prettier than any girl I've ever seen, I'm kind of envious. You should use that to your advantage, no guy can resist a sexy girl in the right atmosphere."

"I don't know... If I do it... will you help?"

"Sure."

"So." Sasame whimpered and stared at the floor of the hospital room. "I'm going to seduce him...?"

It looks like things will get interesting when Naruto and Hinata return.

* * *

Revised on 2-8-2012


	38. That Super Long Chapter

-That Super-Long Chapter-

* * *

"Hokage-sama, reports indicate that there is a large army en route from Stone village." One of the ANBU soldiers reported calmly. "It is believed that the purpose of this force is a small-scale attack on Konoha, sir."

"I was wondering how long it would take." He shook his head lightly. "If you don't mind doing it yourself, please assemble a force to intercept them before they reach the village. I have to attend to matters that have recently arisen, so I'm afraid I can't do it myself."

"Of course, sir." The guard bowed respectfully. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes..." He stroked his short beard. "The last movement – against Waterfall, of course - didn't have very many skilled medics. Let's not make the same mistake again, send Haruna Sakura. Her great skills are better suited to a battlefield than a civilian hospital."

"Yes sir!" The ANBU replied before he vanished in a cloud of smoke.

"I wonder..." The Hokage looked out his window, over the unsuspecting village of Konoha. "Master said that Haruno Sakura had a part to play in this little game of his. So was this all a part of his plan? Did he plan for me to send her to battle, and if he did, then is there something there waiting for her? Something that will further Master's goals?"

"You ask too many questions, Hokage-sama." A mysterious voice extended from the shadows in the room's deep corners. "But you're right; every move that you make, even by your own choice, has been planned or influenced by Uchiha-sama."

"You're..." The Hokage turned around and looked at the young man standing in the room. "Kabuto, right?"

"Yes, I'm honored that you remember my name." The silver-haired man responded with a sly smile. "Uchiha-sama has sent me to relay a message. It would seem that the little Hyuuga patrol have been sticking their noses where they don't belong. But for now they seem harmless, and they even seem to have set themselves against a certain set of missing-nins."

"You mean Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata."

"You're on a first name basis with Naruto-kun?" Kabuto laughed lightly. "Well either way, you're right. Your ANBU will be getting a message telling you of their latest 'discovery' sometime today."

"Um... thank you." The Hokage was unsure of what to do now. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, the army that is coming." He grinned a little. "There's a Jinchuuriki among them."

"A Jinchuuriki from Stone village?" The Hokage gasped. "But I didn't think that they had another one!"

"Oh, don't worry. They don't have their own, they're just borrowing this one." Kabuto explained slowly. "You see, Rain and Stone are allied against you now. They've got Agami Ryoku, a man who was infused with the power of some giant monster that was once the guardian of Rain."

"From Rain, huh?" The Hokage seemed relieved. "Interesting. How exactly are we going to fight him?"

"I don't think we'll have to worry too much... if you know what I mean."

* * *

"Ryoku's in Earth Country?" Naruto blinked at hearing this. "So we came all the way here for nothing?"

"Well, it depends on what you want him for." The man called Kentou told him.

"Well, uhhh..." Naruto fidgeted a little. _Does he know about Ryoku being a Jinchuuriki?_

"I guess it doesn't really matter." Kentou shrugged. "For now, you're stuck here. There's a big blizzard blowing in and the ocean is getting too icy. Ships can't leave for a while, and there's no safe route south through the mountains in this weather."

"Great." Naruto rolled is eyes and slumped his shoulders. "What now?"

"Feel free to stick around here until the weather blows over." He shrugged. "I've got plenty of room here in my house."

Naruto nodded. Kentou's home was certainly large, especially for a man living with only his kid sister. "Thanks. Hinata and I can take one room, so that means there's one more open for a friend of mine right?"

"One room?" He cocked an eyebrow. "Are you sleeping with a Hyuuga girl? Impressive, Naruto-sama." He started bowing mockingly.

"Shut up!" Naruto blushed and folded his arms.

"Haha, okay, okay." He waved his hand and chuckled a little. "But yeah, that means there's another spare room. You got someone in mind?"

"Yeah, I do." Naruto nodded. "I'll go find him." He stood up and stretched. "Hinata, I'll be back soon. I'm gonna go get Tenkou."

"Tenkou?" Hinata asked from the other room. "Why?"

"We're all stuck here for a while, Kentou-san said he could stay here too."

A sweat drop formed on Kentou's head. _Tenkou? That's too similar to my name...  
_

Sasaki walked into the room as Naruto left. "Is he the Kyuubi kid Ryo told you about?" She asked curiously. "I always imagined he'd be a little more rough around the edges. I didn't think he'd be so cute either.

"You didn't think he was cute when he was living at Ryo's house last year." Kentou propped his chin on his palm and gave her a suspicious look.

"He was all dark and depressing back then." She explained. "Now he's kinda cool. It too bad he's taken."

"Yes, he is. And you really should respect that. Wait... would you say Ryo and I are rough around the edges?" Kentou asked with a grin. "You thought the Kyuubi Carrier would be, what did you base that idea on?"

"Never mind, you two are just eerily cheerful." She glared at him spitefully. "It's really weird... kind of creepy sometimes, too."

"Aha..." He started to sweat a little as he chuckled with heavy sarcasm. "Thanks... that's too kind."

"Excuse me." Hinata asked as she walked into the room. "But... did you say."

Kentou and Sasaki froze and stared at Hinata. They didn't want Hinata to know that they knew about Naruto being a Jinchuuriki, and they especially didn't want her to know that Kentou was as well – not yet at least.. "Hahaha... say what?" They laughed nervously and said in unison.

Hinata blushed a little and gave Sasaki a glare. "He is... but he... I mean..."

"Eh?"

"Please don't take him from me!" She started crying exaggeratedly. It was more of a comical than pitiful sight.

Kentou and Sasaki stared at her with completely confused expressions. It was actually quite strange.

"Hey Kentou..." Sasaki poked her brother with her elbow. "She's... kind of... odd."

* * *

"A mission?" Shikamaru groaned, He was having a good, peaceful day until now. "How troublesome. Do I have to lead it again?"

"No, this time it will be directed by Hatake Kakashi and a few other ANBU members to assist him." The man who had knocked on Shikamaru's door informed him. "You have the talent, but he has much more leadership experience. In this mission, we can't take any chances."

"Why not? Is it a big mission or something?" He grew a little more curious.

"An attack party is en route from the Stone village."

"From Stone, huh? I'm not surprised, they've been the ones to make all the first moves up to this point." Shikamaru cursed the troublesome Stone village under his breath, then stepped out of his home with the ANBU. "Who else is coming?"

"Not too many others." He replied professionally. "The party doesn't seem to be very large, but we still have to make sure we don't underestimate them. Our counter-force will consist of many of the most talented young ninjas in the village, and a backup squad will be sent soon afterward just in case."

"All right." He shook his head in exasperation.

When they reached the village gates, he saw a few familiar faces. "Sakura, Shino, Chouji..." Then his eyebrow started twitching a little. "I...Ino. That troublesome woman."

"Oh, I seem to remember you saying something about her on our last mission together." Kakashi appeared out of nowhere, perverted reading material in hand. "On the attack on waterfall all those months ago. Let's see... I think you said something like 'Ino's going to interrogate me until I tell her everything'... I don't remember what you were talking about, but I made a rather humorous joke about hooking up with the daughter of the head investigator of Konoha's police and ninja force."

"And I said we weren't an item." Shikamaru slouched, glaring hatefully at Kakashi, who simply gave him an innocent look.

"But lately, rumors have been getting more and more-"

"Shikamaru!" Ino screeched angrily from the assembled Shinobi, then ran to up to the place where he and Kakashi were having their talk. "You didn't call me last night! You always call a girl after a date!"

"I thought you're supposed to wait a day before calling." He replied in a tone that indicated he didn't really care.

"You idiot." Ino growled nastily. "You wait a day to call after you have _sex_! Calling the same night as a regular date is obvious!"

Shikamaru ignored her. "Oh, and for the record, Kakashi, it _wasn't_ a date."

"What are you talking about?" She sounded hurt and angry. More angry than hurt though. "You even kissed me goodnight!"

"Lies!" Shikamaru yelled, terrified.

"You're the liar!"

Kakashi watched them argue while in his visible eye, a glint of inspiration grew brighter and brighter with every little detail that Ino divulged. _Oh this is good stuff._

Whether Ino was making it up, or if all this really had happened, was a mystery.

* * *

"Are you feeling better, Risuki?" Ryu asked worriedly as she sat up in bed. He was already standing up and changing into his everyday garb.

"I still feel kind of weird..." She shook her head to shake off the lightheaded feeling. "When I held your sword, it forced a ton of energy into my body. But I've had more power than that in my system at once, so how come I've felt weird _for_ _four days_? Shouldn't it have worn off by now?"

Ryu shrugged. "You'd have a better idea than me. I don't know much about being a Jinchuuriki, really, and weren't you on a team for sound that studied the power of these monsters?"

Risuki looked at the ceiling for a moment. "Maybe... the two energies, from your sword and from the cat inside me... what if they conflicted? Maybe something was knocked off balance or something."

"It makes more sense than anything else."

"Hey, Ryu..." She gave him a soft look and smiled – only a tiny bit, just enough to make him blush.

"Yeah?"

"Do you really think you're only half human?" She asked quietly, sweetly. "You're not a normal one, I'll give you that. And you may be half monster or something. But you're definitely as much of a human as anyone else."

"What are you talking about?" He shrugged and stared at the floor.

"Do you want the genetic reason or the metaphorical one?"

He looked up at her, speechless and a little confused.

"Okay, I'll give you the science first. It's impossible for a human to conceive a child with only demonic power. There must be another human donor. A female and a male are needed to have a child, no matter what. You're probably right when you say you were infused with it when you were conceived, but you still have a father. So genetically, you're a full human." She waved her finger as she explained. "Like you said, I know a little about this stuff. (I'm smarter than I look)."

"That may be true, but I'm still not normal. Even Naruto is more human than I am, the Kyuubi isn't a part of him, it's just inside him."

"Come on, Ryu." Risuki groaned lightly. "If I can't convince you with that, I probably can't do it at all. I'm no good with this kind of thing."

"You don't have to worry about it."

That seemed to tick her off just a little. "Of course I do. If I'm stuck with you, I don't want to see you all depressed." She reached up and pulled him into the bed with her and into her arms. "Just listen to me, okay?"

"Does it really matter?" He was tired of the subject, and ready to move to something else.

"Listen to me." She pulled her head up a little to stare into his eyes. "It sounds so stupid and cheesy, but even if you weren't human, I would still love you. If you told me right now that you _are_ the stupid three-tailed shark or whatever, I'd still love you."

"Risuki... thanks..." He couldn't help smiling. It really did sound cheesy when she said it, but it made him happy. "I'm not me without you."

"Now that's the kind of thing I wish I could say!" She narrowed her eyes a little. "It's always been like this. You're all eloquent and I'm-"

"The foul-mouthed, aggressive, energetic, loud, tomboyish girl?"

"Yeah, that." She laughed at him. "You're funny too. Hey wait..."

"What?"

"You thought you weren't a real human..."

"Yeah..."

"Is that why..." She furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "You wouldn't have sex with me?"

"W-What?"

"That's why you wouldn't have sex with me!" She said a little louder. "When we were in that hotel, you didn't want to do it. Was it because you figured it'd be bad for me or something?"

"Why do you want sex so badly?" He looked slightly irritated. "Are you some kind of girl pervert or something?"

She gave him a look that said she was at least as annoyed as he was. "I'm just teasing you... mostly."

"Mostly?"

"Shut up and take off your pants."

"This is so backwards... You can't be serious." He shook his head in exasperation. "Besides, I don't want to get you pregnant."

"Hey, Ryu." She blinked a few times, still with the annoyed expression. "It's impossible for you to get me pregnant. Not without some kind of outside help at least. It's because of the Two-tailed cat and your Three-tailed shark. Our bodies can't naturally produce normal reproductive cells, we've got to take some kind of drug for that to happen."

"You're just shooting down every excuse I have, aren't you?"

"It's still the middle of the night (I'm not gonna ask why you were up and out of bed at this hour). I'll let you do anything to me, your weirdest fantasies. Doesn't that turn you on at least a little?"

"Why is this so important to you?" He wasn't bothered anymore, but instead was curious and a tad concerned.

"I don't know. Maybe it's some dumb subconscious desire that'll somehow make me feel more whole. Or maybe I'm just a pervert." She joked without any hesitation, which surprised him a little. "It's not every day you have a girl asking for this, you know."

"Yes, I do know." He groaned. "Risuki, I don't think we should do this yet. Maybe later, when our life isn't so crazy. When we're a little more stable..."

"Fine..." She turned over and lay next to him with a fake pout.

"Why _are_ you so horny?" Ryu was very curious about it now. "Seriously... You weren't like this before."

She stopped to think for a moment, after a few seconds, she seemed a little scared. "You're right... Maybe it's some weird chemical in my brain or something, caused by your sword..." Then she grinned a little. "So now that I have an excuse, will you do it?"

By now, she was honestly teasing him, but he didn't know that. "We're going to go find and talk to Atsui-sama in the morning. We can't do any work for him yet." He stated importantly.

"Wait... what?"

"We need to go to the Wave country." He said. "My master is still alive and I need to see him. It's even more important now that you've been affected by the sword too."

"But..." She looked a little worried. "I'm still me. You don't think that it's actually changed _me_ do you?"

"No, I don't." He smiled. "You were being yourself when you were being so sweet earlier. You were speaking from your heart. I just think that since you still feel weak, he might be able to help you..." He hesitated a little. "And... because it might've made you a little horny."

"Most boys would rejoice." She half-joked.

"I'm not most boys."

She chuckled at that. "Dammit... you're way too good for me."

"I try."

* * *

Shuuzen was sitting in hospital lab with some of the doctors, examining what they had discovered through a microscope and some other equipment.

"What is this stuff?" She whispered under her breath. "I've never seen anything like this before... and I've seen a lot of weird things."

"It has some kind of extremely potent cell-regenerating properties, a healing potion if you want to put it that way. But in the long term, it's one of the most toxic substances I've ever seen." Kenta, the hospital administrator told her. "I hope I'm wrong, but I fear this is more of an addiction than a medication."

"I've only known Osanai for a few months. But he doesn't seem the type for substance abuse." She shook her head, reading a chart of the chemical and its reaction in various tests. "But I'm a little worried about something. If that's the stuff that's been keeping him alive... how much of it did you use for these experiments?"

"Each container only held a few drops of the stuff. So it amounts to about one vial for each test."

"That's not good..." She shook her head again. "We've used an awful lot then... I don't know how much he had back in the village either. This could be the very last of his medicine."

"It's possible to find more of course, or maybe make more."

"Nobody's ever seen this stuff before. Something tells me it's rare." She told him as she put the papers down. "Wait..." Her eyes widened. "How long did he tell Mei he could go without that stuff?"

"Umm..." Kenta thought back a little bit. "She said that he told her that it lasts about a week."

"It's been eight days..." She cursed under her breath. "He's on sleep meds, so there's no way he could tell us if he's in pain. The kid might be dying."

She dashed out of the office and headed immediately for Osanai's room while Kenta struggled to keep up with the albino woman. When he finally reached her, she was already in Osanai's room, reading the printouts and the screens on the machines he was hooked up to.

"He was complaining about fatigue, but that he wasn't able to sleep well." She said. "That's why we put him to sleep. But he probably didn't realize that a week had gone by since he'd had any medicine, he was asleep for most of it."

"So..." Kenta realized what was going on. "That means that the fatigue was from..."

Mei had been in the room the whole time, not even noticed by Shuuzen or Kenta. "... What...?" She asked. She was shaking and had an absolutely terrified look on her face. "That means..."

"Mei, do you know how long this takes to advance?" Kenta asked hurriedly. "For all we know, after a week goes by, it might only take a few hours for him to-"

"Hush!" Shuuzen yelled at the man. "What's wrong with you? She's horrified as it is, don't make assumptions so quickly. You'll only scare her more."

"Y-yeah." He nodded in apology and agreement.

"Hey..." Mei spoke up, barely audible even in the silent room. "What's that mean?"

Shuuzen looked at Mei. She was pointing at something, a screen on one of the instruments attached to his body. On the screen was a graph of some sort, and there was a single large spike among the other normal-looking waves. Every few seconds it would grow or shrink, or another spike would appear and vanish again in a flash.

"I don't know..." Shuuzen answered honestly. "I'm not very experienced with technology like this."

"It means..." Kenta looked at the readout. "High brain activity..? A nightmare?"

"How much of his medicine is left?" Shuuzen quickly asked one of the lab techs that had entered the room, apparently called by Kenta.

"Um…" He thought for a second. "None."

"Mei..." Shuuzen looked at the poor, terrified girl. "Do you know anything else about this stuff? Anything at all? Where he gets it, how it's made?"

"No..." She shook her head slowly. "But... Arashi might know something."

"That useless man? He's never around when you need him." Shuuzen looked at Kenta. "Let's go find him. He's blonde, tall and always smiling."

Mei watched the two adults run out of the room. After a few seconds, she looked back at Osanai, then at the readout that indicated his bad dream, then back to his face. "Osanai... please don't die."

Acting on impulse, she stood up and stepped closer to his bed. With tears still in her eyes, she leaned down and rested her forehead on top of his, stroking his face with her good hand. "I love you, so please..."

She heard a beep and looked at where it came from. To her surprise and slight relief, the spike on the screen was gone. She smiled and pushed her chair closer to the bed, then took his hand in hers, determined to be here, holding it when he woke up again.

And even as he was dying, even as he slept as his body began to fall apart from the inside, his hand had a comforting warmth.

* * *

"Hmm... They will meet around this point, if he was right." A man stood atop a tall tree and looked over a large clearing. He was wearing a dark robe that completely hid his features. "Ryoku, huh? An interesting person indeed."

"This is a little closer to Konoha than I feel comfortable with." A woman's voice came from another dark-robed figure. "Is that man so sure about this? If he hadn't waited so long to sent that hint to the Hokage, the village would be a little safer."

"It doesn't matter." The first one said flatly. "The location doesn't effect the outcome. If we were a hundred miles away from Konoha, and the intercept force failed, the attackers would still get to the village in time."

"You're always like this." A second man, dressed identically to the first two, groaned. "Get a girlfriend or something."

"A girlfriend?" The first one turned toward the third. "I have no use for such relationships."

"Whatever." The third figure sighed. "Now we just have to wait."

* * *

"Hey, Hanabi-chan." Kiba called her over while Neji was preparing their meal. "What do you think about all this? Are you really going to try to kill your own sister?"

Hanabi sat on the log next to him and buried her face in her knees. "I don't know." Her muffled voice said. "I've learned so much about her and my father since we left. I just don't know what I should do."

"What do you mean?"

"She left with Naruto... because she loves him." Hanabi said slowly. "If she's happy out there, wherever she is, then how is it our place to try to end that?"

"Naruto is an S-rank criminal. He's on every bingo book in the world under the 'dangerous and unpredictable psycho' section. Our duty is to kill him no matter what. So try to think of it that way."

"But I've never killed anyone." She confessed. "And is it possible for even you or Neji to beat him anyway? If he has such a high rank, he must be strong."

"I don't know."

"If Jiraiya was telling the truth, then we can definitely beat them." Neji said quietly. "The day Naruto returned to Konoha, I saw him walking the streets. I looked at him and I saw a true Shinobi, he had the strength he needed. But it seems he's softened too much since then. As much as I hate it, Jiraiya is right when he says that they need to be kicked back into shape."

"But that doesn't mean that it's right for us to just try to kill them!"

"Stop saying 'try'." Neji commanded. "That's not the attitude we need for this. Besides, if you think it's wrong then you can go back to Konoha."

"What about you?"

"I've decided to trust Hinata-sama and Naruto. And I'll help them. When we meet, I will attack them both. If they come to their senses before they die, then I'll retreat. I know I may sound heartless when I say it... but I trust that they'll pull through."

"This has all gotten so upside down." Kiba groaned. "Hanabi-chan, what about you?"

"I don't want to..." She whimpered. "I can't..."

"I'm with you. I lack whatever it is that Neji has, whatever it is that makes him so sure about this." Kiba sighed sadly. "Hey, Neji?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not sure I want to stay on with this anymore. No offense to you, it's just not my mission anymore." He explained honestly. "Do you think you could get by if Hanabi and I went back home?"

"Send me another tracker when you get there." Neji smiled a tiny bit. "I think I can do it, you don't have to do this if you aren't ready to."

* * *

"I'm back!" Naruto called as he walked into the house.

"Dude... this is my _home_." Kentou complained. "Knock or something."

"Sorry, sorry." Naruto casually excused himself. "It's kind of late. There's not much to do or talk about. I say we go to bed."

"You just want to sleep with your girlfriend." Tenkou, the blue boy from another continent eyed him suspiciously.

"And a Hyuuga at that." Kentou, the owner of the house they were staying in, shook his head, still having trouble believing that someone like Naruto had nabbed such nobility – and convinced her to run away from her heritage and country with him.

"Wait, is she special or something?"

"Special?" Kentou's eyes widened. "Hyuuga is a world-famous ninja family, known for their special techniques and all-seeing eyes. They're extremely powerful and influential, and the girls are rumored to be extremely beautiful even until old age."

"Wow..." Tenkou turned to Naruto. "I knew she was above your level... how'd you pull that off?"

"I have no idea." Naruto confessed. "But I'm going to do everything I can not to screw it up."

"That's the spirit!" Kentou cheered him on enthusiastically, earning himself some strange looks from those around him.

"I guess I'll take him to the guest room?" Naruto offered. "Hinata, I'll meet you in our room."

"Hey, Ken..." Sasaki whispered at her brother once the others were gone. "That guy was cute too."

"You're just boy-crazy." He laughed aloud. "But judging by his attitude and body language, I think he _is_ available."

"That's not what I meant." She glowered at him. "Brothers, jeez. Why couldn't I have a sister?"

* * *

"O-san's medicine?" Arashi asked innocently. "Um... if I'm not mistaken, he carries a bottle of it everywhere he goes. It should be in his backpack."

"If you're right, this will be a lot easier than we had even hoped for." Shuuzen thanked him and went off again. "Let's see... we put his bag and stuff in his room."

"Hey, wait for me!" Arashi called after her. "I want to help."

"Don't scare Mei, seeing as how you're a ghost and all." She grumbled back to the unusually perky guy.

"Ah, we're good buddies, me and Mei." He joked. "Although... she doesn't know I'm dead."

"Come on." She shook her head and wondered how everything wound up like this? "Kenta, I think I've got it."

She opened the door to Osanai's room. She had just been in here several hours ago when they discovered that he wasn't in such good shape. But this time, Mei wasn't there. Sasame was instead.

"Mei's taking a shower." She explained before they managed to ask.

Shuuzen appreciated the time-saving comment and continued to search for the boy's bag. She soon found it and opened the main pouch. After a few seconds, she pulled out a large glass flask wrapped in some soft material, presumably to keep the container from breaking. "This can't be it... It's so huge, compared to the small doses that he's been taking."

"To drink that much would kill you." Kenta said quietly. "It can't be the same thing."

"Oh, it is." Arashi corrected him. "It's rather important and powerful stuff. Right, sensei?" He turned around, Jiraiya was standing in the door looking at the flask.

"Why didn't I realize it before?" He murmured. "The water. The village's Hero water."

"What are you talking about?" Shuuzen asked him, confused, curious and a little frightened by the man's expression.

"Waterfall is such a small village, compared to Konoha or any of the other great ninja villages, that it doesn't have nearly as much of a chance of creating a vastly powerful ninja to lead them. They make up for it with that." He pointed at the bottle. "Whoever drinks that is immediately on equal footing with people like Arashi in terms of speed and strength, and they'll have as much chakra as Naruto."

"But this stuff will kill you!" She argued. "You can't be talking about the same thing."

"No, that's it. The Hero water is a one-shot, last resort strategy. Only the Hero is allowed to hold it, and only the Hero can drink it. In the history of the village, every Hero has drank it and died shortly afterward. But..."

"But what?" Everyone waited in anticipation.

"Osanai is called as the 'Miracle of the Water'. It was discovered about three years ago that he is immune to its side effects. He has used it at least twice since then."

"So..." Shuuzen rubbed her temples with her left hand while she held the bottle of potent liquid in her right. "What do we do with this?"

"For now, use it sparingly to keep him alive. Keep him awake too, he knows more about it than any of us." He suggested. "But I don't know exactly how to do that in this situation."

"Leave that to me." Kenta pressed a button on the wall. Soon, a crackling voice could be heard coming from a speaker on the wall. Kenta quickly gave some orders in medical jargon that only Shuuzen really understood. Then he turned back to the room. "Mei said this stuff works pretty much instantly. So that means he could be awake and feeling well in only a few minutes."

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, an IV that had been keeping him asleep was removed and replaced with an extremely mild solution of the Hero Water. After a minute or two, he started to stir in his bed.

"He's waking up a few minutes earlier than expected." Kenta noted. "Perhaps due to the stimulation from the medicine?"

"Nobody cares as long as it works." Sasame brushed him off. "Hey, Osa."

"Don't call me that." He whispered under his breath. "Oh I feel like shit. What hit me?"

"You skipped a dose." Sasame winked comically and held up the bottle of Hero water. "You should've taken it a day or two ago. Shuuzen and Kenta-sensei figured it out."

"Heh." He chuckled. _Looks like Mei saved _my_ life this time... hey, speaking of her..._ "Where's Mei?" He asked as he sat up and pulled the needle out of his arm, making Shuuzen and Kenta cringe a little. They feared he'd collapse again after a few seconds because of it. But when he didn't, they felt a little better.

"I'll go get her!" Sasame dashed out of the room with a wicked smile that made Genka proud to know her.

"That... can't be good." Arashi stared at the door after she slammed it behind her. "I don't think I like the look on her face..."

"I like it!" Genka rubbed her hands together. "I did a similar thing once to Naruto and Hinata. I sent poor little Hinata-chan over to do something right about the time Naruto would be getting out of the shower. This was before they hooked up and started sleeping together and all, so it was really funny."

"So..." Shuuzen slouched over. She had known Genka long enough to know that a little of her had probably rubbed off on Sasame. And because of that, she knew there was no way to avoid the situation. "This can't end well..."

"Um..." Osanai interrupted their conversation. "What are you guys whispering about?"

"Oh, n-nothing." Genka made an attempt to grin innocently, but it looked sort of awkward. "Well I'm sorta hungry. Everyone else?"

They didn't even respond, but followed her out the door, leaving Osanai with a vexed face. "That's the same excuse she used last time... She's losing her touch."

Down the hall, somewhere else in the hospital, two girls were rushing towards his room. But one of them was wearing only a towel.

"Sasame, what's going on? Tell me!" She begged. Sasame had said something happened with Osanai and grabbed her before she could finish getting dressed. A few people recognized her as Abunai Mei and gave them some strange looks. She knew she would be hearing about this later.

"Something happened." She said again. "Like, there was beeping noises and a bunch of doctors ran into the room and started doing something." This time it wasn't exactly a lie, more of an exaggeration.

"Is he okay?"

"I don't know." Sasame suppressed an evil grin and kept pulling Mei behind her.

"Why did I have to go take a shower at this time?" Mei complained. "I could be in there right now instead of being paraded around the hospital naked. Couldn't you have waited for me to put something on?"

"Um..." Sasame laughed innocently. "I figured you'd want to come right away."

"Well that's true, I did come right away – mostly by my own volition. But you could have at least waited for me to get dressed before you told me anything."

They ran by Genka, who was trying not to burst out laughing while she nonchalantly drank out of a foam coffee cup, which was strange because the hospital didn't serve coffee.

Sasame burst through Osanai's door, tossed Mei in and dashed back out before she could be seen. Once she was out, she and Genka started laughing maniacally.

"Haha..." Genka stopped to catch her breath. "You used to be an innocent girl. But now you're as bad as me."

Osanai was standing, facing away from the door, and doing some stretches, still wearing the hated but necessary paper dress, with that little plastic string tied around his waist to keep it closed. When he finished up, he turned around to see Mei standing there, staring with wide eyes and wearing nothing but a towel.

"Wha-!" He gasped and turned a bright shade of red. But he didn't turn away like he knew he should. Instead, he just sort of stared for a few seconds, _then _turned away. "Sorry..."

Mei realized she was staring too, but not exactly for the same reason he had been. She was just shocked to see him awake and standing so casually. She had expected to see a roomful of surgeons and sharp objects pointing at his body, then to be rushed out by a nurse. But _this_ was completely unexpected

"Oh, maybe..." Osanai looked around the room for a second. He found a cabinet under the room's sink and opened it. "Under here? Yeah, here it is." He pulled out a folded paper object and a plastic strap. "Here, this is better than nothing."

"Eh..." She looked at the object in his hand. The horrid and uncomfortable paper gown. But it was better than a towel, at least people wouldn't look at her funny if she wore this. "Thanks..."

"I won't look." He promised.

After a minute or two, she had changed into the embarrassing hospital gown. "You know... This might not be much better than the towel."

He laughed lightly at that and turned around. "Well this is at least a little more norma-" He stopped dead when he saw her in the robe. She didn't have much to compete with on her chest, but the rest he definitely liked. _Ahh... those thighs... and those legs._ He felt a little lightheaded and leaned on the bed. _Hey wait... her legs? I can see almost all the way up to... _he realized something suddenly. _Is this thing really that short? _

He looked down at himself. _Wait... mine's longer. It goes down to my knees... and I'm taller than her so..._

"I think this is for someone a little smaller than me." She said after looking at herself again. "But it's okay, I don't mind too much as long as nobody else sees me like this."

"Sorry... I didn't think there'd be more than one size." He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "So..."

"So you're going to be okay?" Mei smiled joyfully and stepped a little closer. She raised her arm halfway before stopping and pulling it back a tiny bit.

Osanai finished the movement for her, stretching out his own hands and closing them around hers. Slowly, awkwardly – especially with the paper clothes they were wearing – he pulled her little closer. "I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"They only gave me another dose of my weekly medicine. That's the only reason I'm here right now, but that's all they've been able to do so far." He whispered. "So... just in case..."

"Don't say that." She scolded him quietly. "You aren't going to die."

"Mei..." He smiled bitterly. "I won't forgive myself... if I die before I do this."

"Then don't do it." She told him. "If you don't, then you have something here that you have to do, something to strengthen your will to live..."

"You don't understand." He shook his head slowly. "I want to live, to stay here with you. But this... this is something I have to do, no matter what. I can't miss this chance right now."

"What is it?"

"Mei." He pulled her still closer. Neither of them cared what they were wearing at the particular moment. "I want you to know, just in case this is my last chance to tell you... I'm alive because of you."

"What do you mean?"

"I never really saved your _life. _I got you into and out of some tight situations. Instead, I'm the one who owes you my life. It's not just because you're the one who got help when I passed out, or because you told them about the Water." He paused to smile for a moment. "It's because you've kept my will alive."

"I'm not really... I mean."

"Shh." He gently interrupted. "I have one more thing..."

Mei waited patiently, she had an idea of what he was going to say. But she wasn't sure what exactly to expect. "What...?"

"I..." He was glad that she couldn't see his red face. "I love you, too."

Mei pushed away in surprise. The color of her face matched her hair. "When you were asleep... you heard me?""

"Yeah..."

* * *

"Oh, you're here." The dark-robed man turned to greet their guest. "So how are the preparations, Ryoku?"

"Hehe, while I don't think Naruto will be happy about this, it's really necessary." Ryoku, who was wearing the same robes as the other three chuckled at the irony. "What about Konoha? Are they moving according to plan?"

"Apparently so, an intercept force has been dispatched to eliminate your attack party." The robed woman answered. "Some familiar faces are there, too..."

"Familiar faces?" The second man asked curiously. "Which faces, specifically?"

"Haruna, the girl from Naruto's Genin team back then. Hatake, his old teacher. And... Nara Shikamaru."

"Nara?" The second man asked as the first one shook his head in his hood. "That could mean a lot of things, he's one of their best tacticians now, right?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "He is, so we should be careful."

"Okay!" Ryoku shouted excitedly as he pulled his hood over his head, completely hiding his face in the shadow. "In about five minutes, we should have visual on both armies, and that's when the show starts. So get ready, and get into character."

"What character?" The first man, who seemed to be the one in charge, asked in a very annoyed tone.

"Good point... But anyway, codenames!" Ryoku commanded. First he pointed to the leader. "You are J-1." Then at the second man. "You are P." Then at the woman. "And you are F!"

"F...?" She growled. If her face had been visible, you would be able to tell she didn't much like her codename.

"And I am J-2" He pointed at himself.

"Oi, J-1" The girl called sarcastically. "What's with him and his codenames?"

"I don't care." He grunted. "They'll help protect our identities, so I'll tolerate them."

"Hey, I see them." The second man, codenamed "P", informed the rest. "Let's go."

They dashed as quickly as they could to the center of the soon-to-be conflict and waited for the armies to approach on either side.

On Konoha's side, the men in the front of the task force noticed the people standing there, in plain sight in the middle of a field. "Hey... Who're they?" Shikamaru asked those around him.

"They don't look like innocent bystanders." Kakashi was just as suspicious as Shikamaru. "I have a bad feeling about this."

As the two armies neared each other, there was murmuring on both sides as to who the mysteriously bold group in front of them was. Soon enough, they were only hundreds of feet away from each other, but none made a move. They were mysteriously fixated on the tall man in the middle of the group.

"Who are you?" Kakashi asked loudly and commandingly. "If you don't want to die, then I would get out of the way."

"Who are we?" A deep and surprisingly loud voice emanated from one of the robed figures. "We are your worst nightmare."

"What?" Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. _They don't look like Akatsuki... but there's something ominous about them._

"We are the shadows." The voice carried across the entire congregation, chills ran down the spines of every man present. "We are _Shugokage_."

* * *

Revised on 2-8-2012


	39. Sudden Death

**Welcome to another new chapter of Runaways, at its normal bi-weekly update time. It's hard to do weekly updates, seriously, so I stick to this schedule for now.**

**Enjoy!**

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"Hey, Kentou-san?" Naruto called groggily. "What's for breakfast?"

"Were you this demanding when you lived with Ryo?" He groaned. "Breakfast is whatever you prepare yourself. I can't cook and Sasaki needs some serious motivation to do it for me."

"You got bread?" Naruto asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, I do have bread." Kentou chuckled. "I guess you only _sound _demanding."

"Oi, Kentou-san?" Another boy called. "What's breakfast?"

"Tenkou..." Kentou groaned. "Why must our names be so similar? Bah, ask Naruto about food."

"Oi, Naruto. What's breakfast?"

"Bread."

"Cool."

"They really don't need much, do they?" Kentou asked Hinata as she walked into the room, fully awake and dressed, while the boys were wearing whatever they slept in last night.

"For Naruto, that's a real understatement." Hinata answered. "He has really impressive stamina and endurance too, even lasting days without nutrition or shelter."

"That can't be healthy in the long run." The man shook his head. "Either way, the snow's about three feet deep right now, it started early this morning."

"Woah, that's a lot of powder." Tenkou was slowly waking up.

"That's nothing. If we need to go anywhere later today, we'll have to tunnel our way out of here." Naruto told him. "I once got buried in it for a day."

"Oh, lovely." The blue boy cringed. "Remind me not to do whatever you were doing when that happened."

"Sure." The blonde nodded as he stuffed a slice of untoasted bread into his mouth.

"Good morning!" Sasaki cheered as she entered the room, earning glares from Naruto and Tenkou. "What's for breakfast?"

'

Naruto and Tenkou pointed at the loaf of bread on the table.

"Oh... original." She groaned and sat down with them, pulling a slice out of the bag for herself.

"O...kay..." Hinata and Kentou just sort of watched the others silently and obliviously eat their breakfast.

"This is going to be an exciting experience..." Kentou laughed sarcastically. "We need a game to play or something."

"Hey, Tenkou?" Sasaki turned to him, then swallowed the food she had in her mouth. Hinata rolled her eyes at this girl's manners. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone who looks quite like you, where are you from?"

"Me?" Tenkou asked, a little surprised that she was interested in his background. "I used to travel a lot, but not so much anymore, and I'm from a continent far away from here. We don't have ninjas, and we're a little less advanced technologically. We do have ties with the people from here, just nobody's really heard of us."

"No ninjas?" She looked a little disappointed. "I thought that since you were with Naruto and Hinata, you're a ninja too."

"No, I'm not." He answered, then grinned widely. "Where I'm from, we have Mages. We channel elemental power similar to ninjas, but through different means."

"Yeah, and Tenkou's one of the most powerful because he's also able to use chakra." Naruto interjected. "I fought him, it was really surprising how good he is."

"Oh?" She somehow looked a little relieved.

"So what do you have to do around here?" Naruto asked once he was finished with his breakfast.

"Not a whole lot. Ken works at the slopes as an instructor, I help him sometimes too. But with this weather, they're closed down for at least a week."

"I think I'll go outside." Naruto said as he looked out the window. "Hinata, you coming?"

"Sure, but we need to change first." She nodded.

"You two just want to use 'changing' as an excuse to get to your room alone, so you can snuggle... or maybe _more_ than that." Tenkou snickered at them. "You naughty kids."

"I'll make you pay for that!" Naruto fumed as Hinata held him back.

"No, no." She laughed nervously. "Don't get the wrong idea, we just want to look around outside, if it's safe at least."

"Oh? Yeah, it's perfectly safe as long as you stay real close to the house, unless the wind picks up too much at least." Sasaki told her. "Just make sure to dress real warm, it's especially cold out there with this weather."

"Thanks." Hinata smiled.

"Yeah." Naruto had managed to calm down rather quickly. "I could live without ever seeing another snowflake in my life, but it's better than nothing."

"Go ahead, have fun." Tenkou waved them off happily. "We all know you'll somehow end up snuggling together anyway."

Luckily for him, Naruto had been dragged down the hall by Hinata before he could respond.

A few minutes later, Naruto and Hinata were sitting on the roof outside, looking at the mountain range in the distance.

"That's where Ryoku lives?" She asked, pointing to a dark object – a house or building – off in the very far distance, buried in the foothills.

"Yep." He responded. "But... what's that over there?"

"What's what?" She squinted a little and looked out in front of them. After a few seconds of searching, she spotted something that stood out. There were two dark spots moving toward them from the direction of Ryoku's house. When she spotted them, her Byakugan activated and gave her a closer look. "Um... That might not be good."

"What is it?" He asked seriously, watching the two figures himself.

"Akatsuki."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"So Atsui-sama let us go, that easily?" Ryu was a little surprised. "I was scared we were like, in the vice or something."

"You're _really_ naive." Risuki chuckled lightly. "Vice? He may be an underworld boss, but that doesn't mean he makes us his slaves or anything... besides, we haven't been here long enough to be trapped in the system."

"That's not comforting."

"Give me a break." She sighed. "Either way, your sword definitely left its mark. I still feel like crap. For now, the only person we know who can help is your old master."

"Yeah..." Ryu looked a little apprehensive. He didn't appear to look forward to the reunion.

"Hey!" The 'tester' whose name they still didn't know called. "I'm going with you. Atsui-sama sent me to help out, since Risuki-san isn't able to fight right now."

"We'll be fine." She said with a wave of her hand.

"Actually..." Ryu looked at the boy, appraising him. "You have your own reasons, don't you?"

"People like us, we should stick together." He grinned. "Call me Zan."

" 'People like us' huh?" Ryu smiled back. "Welcome to the team, Zan."

"So you really are one of us, aren't you?" Risuki had a difficult expression to read. "Which one is it?"

"To tell the truth, I don't know." He shrugged. "I don't want to know either."

"Works for me." Ryu could appreciate his wishes. It only made sense that he didn't care to find out. "So we're going to Wave..."

"Yep." Risuki responded unsurely.

"There's one problem though..."

"Hmm?"

"Well, you know how I ran away from Mist?" He asked. "I ran away before completing my training. I ran away from my master."

"You're kidding!" Her expression was one of complete disbelief. "Are you telling me that with your moves, you never even finished training? Who exactly _is_ your master?"

"At the time..." Ryu muttered quietly. "he was the Mizukage. He started training me when I was five. I think I was eleven when there was a coup, some Jounin betrayed the Mizukage, but the coup failed."

"I read about that, Mamochi Zabuza was the leader of the insurgency, but they were all fought off by the Mizukage's loyal bodyguards. All but one of the traitors were hunted down and killed over the next few years. Eventually, Zabuza was silenced by Sharingan no Kakashi"

"Bodyguard, actually." Ryu corrected her. "I was the one who fought them all."

"You?!?" She gasped. "He made an eleven year old boy fight against a group of battle-hardened Jounin?"

"It was a test." Ryu explained with a shrug. "I failed."

"What do you mean, failed?"

"I lost to Zabuza." He answered. "He almost killed me before the Mizukage scared him off..."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**"**Hanabi-chan..." Kiba muttered, wide-eyed. "Something's not right here..."

"Yeah." She agreed. "It looks like it's finally started."

"What's going to happen?" He wondered aloud. "Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, they're all here."

"Sakura, Shikamaru, Shino and Ino too." She observed. "This is serious. But why aren't they moving?"

"I think it has something to do with those guys in the middle." Kiba pointed at five mysterious figures in dark robes. "Let's get a little closer and see if we can see anything."

As they neared, they could hear the voice of one of the robed men, loud and commanding as he spoke.

"Shugokage has condemned this war, and has judged Konoha's acts in attacking and destroying the village behind the Waterfall unjust." He said with no detectable emotion. "The war begins, so we now reveal ourselves. If you wish to live, surrender and leave this place now. If you remain stubborn and carry out your mission now, Shugokage will not turn a blind eye."

"Who does this guy think he is?" One of the Stone-nins shouted. "Shut up, you're just a few people, what makes you so confident?"

"We are only messengers." He chuckled. "But even an emissary such as myself is enough to handle this situation."

"Prove it!" The same man challenged.

"Carry out your mission, servant of the Tsuchikage, and I will do so."

That was all they needed, the Stone-nins made their move with lightning quickness and precision. In a flash, twenty men dashed to close-range combat. The rest of them stayed a short distance away and bombarded the Konoha defenders with their earth-based attacks.

It wasn't long before the surprised Konoha-nins began to fall, one-by-one. Kakashi, as one of the first targets of the onslaught, found himself unable to command his forces. There were three relatively inexperienced ninjas trying to trap him, and he managed to escape their trap. He didn't waste any time trying to fight back though, his first priority was getting a good idea of what was going on so he could lead his army.

"This isn't good." He growled. "I should have had them move into position before this happened, but we were caught by surprise somehow, even with the enemy in plain sight. How did I make a mistake like this?"

Slowly, the tallest figure in the mysterious five shook his head. "We should let a few survive, let them spread the word of our existence. This move I'm about to do is tactically useless, but it's somehow the best option we have right now..."

"Sounds good to me." Another one agreed. "Do it fast."

"Sure." He nodded and started forming hand seals – an extremely long chain of them. "You guys should get somewhere safe. I'm about to... just take my word for it."

"Wait..." The woman sounded a little shaken. "You're going to wipe everything out."

"Pretty much."

**XXXXX**

"Shikamaru!" Kakashi shouted urgently. "Organize the south end of the battlefield, I'll take the north. If you need healers, take Sakura now before she gets too busy."

"Roger!" He shouted back over the noise of clashing knives and loud battle cries. He quickly assessed the south end of the fight. It was messy, and it didn't look like it would be easy to clean up. "This is troublesome..."

Before he could even start giving orders, he felt something intense from the center of the area. He turned to see what it was and his jaw dropped in astonishment. A white light shone across the field.

Suddenly, everything was silent. He could _see_ people screaming, but there was no sound – even coming from his own mouth. It almost seemed like the center of the blinding light was sucking in all the noise, as if it just nullified the vibrations in the air.

Another second later, the silence was decimated by a thunderous explosion. The deafening roar was only bested by the brilliant fiery explosion that had caused it.

"So troublesome..." He muttered before it hit him. Closing his eyes, he waited for it to engulf him. But the moment never came. Even though he could clearly hear the blood boiling screams of his comrades through the explosion, all he felt was a little heat on his skin.

He opened his eyes to find out what was happening. But he had done so at a bad time – near the right side of his fiend of vision, he saw a man's body dissolve into nothingness, it had been disintegrated by the blast, and only a puddle of blood remained. Within seconds, the blood was baked into the ground, marking the spot where the man had died. Shikamaru almost choked up a mouthful of vomit, but managed to keep his gut under control. Then he looked up to where the explosion was coming from.

All he could see was a black form in front of him. A shield, the rest was drowned out by the intense light, but he had a feeling someone had saved him.

After it was over, the deafening roar had stopped and the stench of burned flesh filled his nostrils. His vision became dark after the brilliant light faded away. Slowly, ever so slowly, it readjusted to the normal light. That was when he saw the horrible outcome of the battle.

"There aren't even any bodies." He muttered slowly, then turned to his savior. To his astonishment, it was a woman wearing the same robes as the man who had just killed everyone. "You!" He shouted. "You were a part of this! You helped kill hundreds of people!"

She didn't even respond, but picked up the charred object that she had used for a shield and folded it. Acting on instinct, Shikamaru almost unconsciously grappled the woman into place with his shadow.

She tried to jump away, but her body wouldn't move. "Let me go."

"That voice." He whispered. "You're..."

**XXXXX**

"What is this?" Sakura's body shook as she looked around her. "Everything... everyone is gone."

"Yes." Shino confirmed in an eerily professional tone. "It's a shame that man killed our own army along with Stone's."

"But... how did we live?"

"My insects eat chakra, and that blast was simply an enormous amount of it, extremely concentrated. The wall they formed protected us."

"Is anyone else alive?" She asked herself more than Shino as she looked around. There seemed to be a few others that made it, thankfully.

Kakashi and Lee were protected by an earthen wall, presumably erected by Kakashi. Gai had ducked into a hole in the ground. Ino and Asuma were behind a thick wall of chakra. It seemed that most of her friends were still okay, which made her grateful that her friends were among the most skilled in the village.

But almost a hundred others were dead – not even the ashes of their bodies remained. There were simply charred black marks on the now barren ground where they stood moments before.

"This..." Shino hesitated for the first time anyone could remember. "I never thought this could happen so quickly."

"Yeah..." Sakura nodded shakily. "Me either."

A short distance away, Kiba and Hanabi were on the ground in a somewhat embarrassing position. Akamaru had taken cover well before the blast, then Kiba pushed Hanabi down seconds before the light passed over them.

"Sorry..." He apologized as he stood up and brushed himself off.

"No, thanks." Hanabi smiled gratefully. "But... what was that?"

"I don't know, but..." His voice trailed off when he looked back toward the battle. "Holy... Everything's gone."

"They were vaporized." A voice told them from deeper in the forest. There was something chilling about the deep tone. "This Shugokage group... they're dangerous."

"Who are yo-" Kiba spun around and got a glimpse of the face. "Hokage-sama?!?"

"Yes, I received a hint that there was some sort of trap. My informant told me that something like this would happen... but I was too late to stop it."

"What was that?"

"It was technique that only someone with the power of a monster can use. If this 'Shugokage' has more people like him, then we should be careful... especially with this war on our hands."

"So..." Kiba turned around again and stared at the wasteland. "How many of my friends..."

"It's a staggering loss." The Hokage patted Kiba's shoulder understandingly. "But this is the price we pay to stay alive."

**XXXXX**

"Temari!" Shikamaru growled and slowly released the binding hold he had her trapped in.

"Looks like I'm always saving you. Learn to cover your ass better."

"W... what? Why are you here? Are you with Shugo- oof!"

She interrupted him abruptly as she spun on her heels and bashed the closed fan into his cheekbone. The blow knocked Shikamaru to the ground and gave her time to escape "Sorry, Nara." She whispered regretfully as she ran away.

Shikamaru sat up again and wiped the fresh blood off his face. "Somebody has some explaining to do."

He stood up slowly to assess the damage. There only seemed to be a few survivors out of the eighty-man intercept force that had been assembled to defend Konoha. Most of them, to his relief, were familiar faces. Looking around a little more closely, he saw a person in the distance, standing atop the highest hill in the area.

"Who..." Shikamaru squinted his eyes to get a clearer look, but they still hadn't completely adjusted from the blinding flash. All he could make out was long dark hair that blew in the violent gusts. There was something eerily familiar about the man, and that feeling sent a chill up and down Shikamaru's entire body.

**XXXXX**

"This is perfect." The dark-haired mastermind grinned madly as he watched Shikamaru try to find out what had just happened. "Everything is going so smoothly. It's almost too good to be true."

"Uchiha-sama, please don't stand in the open like this." A man requested respectfully.

Sasuke looked down to see a Konoha ANBU kneeling on the ground. "You're one of the 'Hokage's' underlings, aren't you?"

"Yes, sir." He responded professionally. "I have devoted myself to serving him, and yourself through him. But it may be dangerous to your plan if you allow yourself to be seen at this stage."

"Whatever." The Uchiha shrugged. "I'm done here anyway. Make sure this mess gets cleaned up, and make a good story as well; I want the _real_ fighting to begin as soon as possible."

"Yes, Uchiha-sama."

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Mei and Osanai sat quietly in his hospital room. They hadn't been bothered much today. In fact, they'd been alone together since the dramatic confession. Ever since then, they just sat together on the room's sorry excuse for a sofa – a cushioned bench in the side of the room, which was at least better than the bed – holding each other like a new couple (while being careful not to bend Mei's injured arm in any way that could hurt it). Go figure.

"I can't believe it..." He whispered gently. "You..."

"What?" She grinned happily.

"I just... I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, not since the minute we met. I figured you'd never look my way, but look at us now. I feel like such a dork for saying cheesy things like that though, nothing seems to come out right."

"I don't think so." She replied cheerfully. "I already knew you were romantic like this, so I like hearing you say things like that."

He chuckled lightly and pulled her a little closer. Every now and then, his eyes would drift downward to her lap. The lovely paper gown was barely able to cover her important parts – only by some miracle - which he didn't have much of a problem with. What it didn't cover were her lean, curvy legs – the type that most women might kill to have, the kind that could steal a man's attention away from any girl's chest.

"What, you want to see more?" She asked him in a teasing, somewhat sarcastic tone when she caught him looking at her legs. "When I look at _your_ lap, I can tell that you definitely wouldn't mind a better look."

"I hate wearing this thing." He complained as his eyebrow started twitching. "Why do you keep looking there?"

"It just jumps out at me." She teased - pun intended – and poked her tongue out a little. "But it makes me feel pretty."

"You're mean." The poor kid groaned helplessly.

She laughed aloud at the poor, defeated boy. "Hey, do you have to stay here in the hospital? It's hard for us to be together here."

"I'm not sure. Do you think you'd be able to pull some strings and get me out?"

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"It was that easy, huh?" Osanai smiled as he walked in the fresh, outdoor air. "I'm glad to have my clothes back on. I _hated_ wearing that stupid thing."

He was quite grateful to be out of the hospital again. Mei had managed to convince Kenta to let Osanai stay in the Abunai home with the rest of them, meaning he wasn't required to wear the paper garments anymore.

"Stop complaining, you're alive right?" Genka poked his forehead happily. "And how many good things happened while were wearing it? Your life was saved, obviously. Your confession was accepted by the girl of you dreams... and that's... about it."

"Wow... what a long list." He groaned lightly, wishing everyone would get off his back. _My life is still in danger, and it's out of our hands, and look at them! How can someone Genka's age be so childish?_

"Where's Ero-sennin?" Genka changed the subject. "I haven't seen him since earlier today... it's getting kind of late."

"I'm not really sure." Sasame responded hesitantly. "He just kind of disappeared."

Nearby, a certain familiar Hyuuga was eating his dinner in an open stand, common in this part of town. _Did someone just say 'Ero-sennin'? That's... _He immediately leapt from his chair, abandoning his meal and leaving a small payment in hopes that it would cover the cost of the food.

He ran swiftly and silently in the direction he heard the voices from. Within only a few seconds, he could see the small group walking casually through the street. A somewhat short girl with fiery red hair, a brunette with a noticeably feminine figure, and two very familiar-looking women. _They were with Hinata back then! They're the ones that I was supposed to kill!_

"Hey!" He shouted without thinking.

"Huh?" Osanai and the others turned toward the voice. Shuuzen looked Visibly shocked while Genka suddenly had an uncharacteristically serious look about her.

"Hyuuga Neji, right?" Genka asked professionally. "Are you here to fight, or do you just have some questions?"

Neji just stared for a few seconds. _I can easily defeat this group. The girl is injured, the albino woman isn't a fighter, the other one is a Genjutsu user, that guy may be the leader of Waterfall, but he looks very ill. Even so, I don't have any reason to fight them... _"Questions, if you'll answer them." He responded after a few more seconds of thought.

"We'll see."

"You." He pointed to Osanai. "Everyone thinks Kakashi killed you."

"I managed to live, with help from your cousin." Osanai answered honestly. "She saved my life with her medical training."

"So... Hinata and Naruto..." Neji looked pained, like he was trying to resolve an inner conflict. "You're with them?"

"Yes."

"Then I suppose we're enemies."

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**REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Most people don't want Neji for an enemy, but oh well. They'll survive... at least for now.**

**So yeah, I'm tired so let's get straight to the questions!**

After some quality time with Sasaki and Kentou (not to be confused with Tenkou... well okay, that's kind of why I named them so similarly), what do you think of them?

What do you think is up with Neji anyway? Will he attack them? What do YOU think he'll do?

And the most important of all... people died. Lots of people. This is when it gets interesting, so are you looking forward to it?

And... is there anything else you want to comment on?

**REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	40. Remembrance

**OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM SO SORRY FOR THIS LOOOOOOONG WAIT! The Holidays got everything all-amess, then my laptop charger died and I couldn't do this, I finally circumvented that by using the last 5 minutes of juice (which I didn't know it had left) to transfer the next few chapters to my desktop computer. Man…. My computer troubles… not fair.**

**Well, PLEASE forgive the month-long wait, if you have an ounce of mercy in your soul, please don't kill me. And if you're feeling REALLY generous, visit my anime and AMV website, the link to which can be found on my fanfiction profile page.**

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"Akatsuki?" Naruto's eyes narrowed. "What are they doing here, of all places?"

"I don't know..." Hinata shook her head, then focused back on the two approaching figures. "But they were coming from Ryoku's house, and they're headed this way."

"Is it Itachi?" Naruto asked. Not that it would really make any difference, he just wanted to know for some reason.

Hinata squinted as her vision zoomed in to get an even closer look. After only a second, she nodded slowly and heaved out a sigh. "What now?"

"Not much we really can do..." The blonde grinned a tiny bit. "Right?"

Back inside, Tenkou had an eerie feeling. Something didn't settle right in his stomach, and his instinct told him that there was something seriously wrong somewhere nearby. "Hey, Sasaki... Kentou..."

"Yeah?" Sasaki pulled a slice of toast away from her mouth to speak up.

"What is it?" Kentou asked from behind a newspaper – where the paper had come from was a mystery.

"I'm going to check on Naruto..." He informed them as he stood up. "I've got a weird feeling… can you guys fight?"

Sasaki pulled back from the table and grinned. "I bet I could beat you."

"That's a challenge I'll accept later. For now, I think something's about to happen." He was scowling intensely, something unexpected to Sasaki and her brother.. "Come on."

The three of them rushed toward the back door together "Hurry." Tenkou suddenly held a commanding voice that helped them hurry outside.

Sasaki stopped short of the door and look around for something. "I'll be right out, just give me two minutes to get ready."

Ten and Ken plowed through nearly waist-deep snow looking for the two stars of this story. Kentou seemed to have an idea of where he was going, so Tenkou mostly followed him.

"Naruto!" He called when he spotted the telltale black and orange jacket with bright yellow hair.

"Tenkou!" Naruto called back, startled. "Good timing, we could use some help here!"

"Ah... Naruto-kun has some more friends." A deep and menacing voice said flatly. "It's a bit unexpected running into you here, but now that we've met, this can't be avoided."

"Without your little swordsman buddy, you're doomed against either one of us." Kisame sneered, his sharp teeth as white as the snow around him.

Hinata smirked as she made an observation; "Neither of you are able to fight right now. Kisame's wound will open, and Itachi probably can't even use his own techniques properly. His chakra system should still be recovering from a few weeks ago."

Kisame cursed under his breath, he was hoping his intimidation tactic would work. Still, he was confident that he and Itachi could handle anything these two could throw at them. They learned not to underestimate Hinata last time, when they were both nearly killed, but not anymore. Now they would go as far as their bodies would take them.

"Kisame, you start again." Itachi commanded. "I think you'll find this easy enough."

Kisame didn't speak a word, he just pulled the ribbon-wrapped sword from his back and grinned as he untied the knot in the white strips of fabric, revealing the greatly unorthodox form of his "sword", Samehada. Roaring, he leapt at Hinata, intent on silencing her quickly. But his attack was narrowly avoided when she rolled backwards. When he recovered from his swing, he saw blood on the tip of his blade and grinned happily. "Looky here..."

Hinata glanced down at her right leg. It had been skimmed by the sword, tearing through her thick pants and scraping her skin enough to let it bleed out a little bit. _The snow is slowing me down._ She realized. _I don't have as much strength as Kisame, so it's harder for me to move around. That means that I lose a lot more speed than he does. I need to be careful._

After planning out a few moves in her head, she prepared to counter his next attack. She managed to anticipate this one and leap into the air above him, this time untouched by the deadly edges of his sword. _Now's my chance!_ She shouted inwardly and collected chakra in her left hand and aimed at his head. "Jyuuken!"

Kisame looked up, his face emotionless as ever. As quickly as he was able, he pulled his sword up to protect his forehead. Her special attack only hit the broad side of the weapon and was absorbed into its "mouths". She then pushed against it with her feet to jump away, but the chakra was sucked out of her legs as well, so her enhanced jump only propelled her a few feet instead of several yards.

She managed to land on her feet and assume another defensive stance. Kisame charged again and pulled the sword behind him in preparation for a strong swing. But before he was able to execute his plan, a fist planted itself firmly in his face. The punch knocked him off-balance and almost completely off his feet. After regaining a steady position, he looked up at his attacker.

"There's two of us!" Naruto mockingly scolded him as he shook his hand lightly. "Don't forget about me!"

"I didn't." Kisame grinned evilly. He jumped forward without warning.

Naruto kept his eyes on the sword and prepared to jump away when it came at him. Because of his focus on the weapon, he didn't notice until it was too late – Kisame's open hand was crashing toward his throat.

The blue-toned man grasped Naruto by the neck and tossed him into the air. Besides the whiplash that he was now suffering from, he also realized that without anything to push off of, he couldn't change direction quickly enough to avoid Kisame's sword.

"You're dead now!" Kisame yelled as he swung his weapon at Naruto's helpless form. "Dodge this!"

Before it was able to connect, a large explosion erupted just by Kisame's feet. The ground rocked and the force thrust Kisame into the air. The blow also tossed Naruto away, letting him fall safely into a snow drift.

"What was that?" Hinata gasped and looked at the ground where the explosion had occurred. "A projectile... something carried the explosive, I could just barely see it in the edge of my vision."

Itachi, whose Sharingan had been active the entire time, had seen the projectile – an arrow – fly toward his companion and Naruto. He started to turn, trying to find where it had come from, when his eyes widened just noticeably. "Kisame, look out!" He shouted a word of warning.

Just as he said it, four more projectiles came straight at the shark-like man, each one faintly radiated a white light and left a glowing trail behind it. Kisame saw them coming and raised his sword to block. Samehada easily negated them and he continued his descent to the ground.

"There are more!" Itachi warned again, becoming a little impatient.

Kisame looked around. "What?!?" He gasped – there were four more arrows, glowing like the others, but each coming from a different direction. One was to his left, one to his right and two more came from above. Each one had an arcing path through the air, and seemed to be turning straight for him.

He didn't waste any time. He blocked the first missile easily, the second one was a little too close for comfort, though. The third and fourth both managed to slice into his rough skin, but only grazed the surface. Now he was bleeding, and he wasn't happy about that.

"Who shot those?!?" He shouted in the general direction they seemed to be coming from.

_Kisame, you idiot. Don't get impatient, you'll become careless! _Itachi yelled mentally at his partner, shaking his head just slightly.

A single projectile – glowing white and leaving a long trail behind it – passed tight through Kisame's right arm. It had moved so fast that it seemed to be an energy beam due to its glowing tail. Kisame dropped his sword and grunted loudly. "What the hell?" He complained as he looked at his now heavily-bleeding arm.

"You're out of this fight, Kisame." Itachi scolded him. "I'll finish it."

"Alright, Itachi." He groaned unhappily and picked up the sword with his left hand as his right arm hung limp from his shoulder. _How do I keep getting beaten by a bunch of kids?_

"Naruto-kun..." Itachi said with his normal, impossible-to-read tone. "Consider yourself lucky, I'll admit that I can't use my Sharingan to its fullest potential right now. But that doesn't mean I can't crush you both."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Tenkou..."

"Yeah?" The blue-headed boy responded.

"Let's both handle this one..."

"I'll be fighting Hinata." Itachi informed them with a teasing smirk. "We have an uneven score to settle, so to speak. Tell me, Hinata, do you remember our last fight at all?"

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"Hyuuga Neji." Genka growled quietly. "Unlucky."

"I don't suppose you'll let us go." Osanai laughed nervously. "The redhead is paralyzed in her left arm and I just got out of the hospital. The white-haired onee-chan isn't a fighter at all."

"I'm not very good at fighting either." Sasame smiled uneasily and chuckled.

"Yeah... so will you give us a break?" Osanai smiled hopefully. "We're a bunch of cripples, you have enough honor not to attack us right?"

"Tch." Neji scoffed at the group with a comically annoyed face. "I wasn't going to hurt you in the first place, don't get any weird ideas."

"Oh..." They all said in unison. "Then... what do you want?"

"I'm not sure." The Hyuuga prodigy answered hesitantly. "Maybe... if you could give Naruto a message."

"Yeah?"

"Sooner or later, we will meet as enemies. Jiraiya-sama told me that you used to be willing to kill your enemies, but you've gone soft. For your sake, harden your heart. When we meet, one of us will die. I won't hold back, and you mustn't either."

"Damn..." Genka whispered under her breath. "He's hardcore..."

"Oh." Neji seemed to remember something important. "And tell him to take good care of my cousin – she deserves it."

With that, he disappeared in ninja-esque style, chakra-charged bursts of speed propelled him away from the area as fast as he could travel. But where he was running to, he didn't know.

"I think he meant it." Osanai sighed and hung his head low.

"Who was that man?" Mei stared at the space where Neji had stood.

"That was someone who has almost lost his emotion to years of fighting – years of killing." Osanai said quietly. "I'm not in a position to judge him, and I don't think any of us really are. We don't know the experiences he's had – we haven't killed as many men as he has been forced to."

"Kill..." Mei's pupils shrank a little bit at mumbling the word. She quickly turned to Osanai and gave him a pleading look. "Have you...? You haven't... have you?"

He stared at the ground a little longer before he pulled his head up to look at her. "The cost of saving one life... sometimes means to end another one."

"I see..." She murmured quietly enough that only Osanai was able to hear. "In that case..." She started, then frowned. "Does that mean that when we saved you, we killed someone else? Did we take the doctors' attention from another dying patient, and kill him? Did my father use his influence to get the best doctors, but pull them away from someone else?"

Osanai didn't say anything for a minute. He couldn't say anything, the master of smooth-talk was almost speechless. "If we did, then that person is in a better place anyway."

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"Hey!" Sasaki called as she ran up to the scene of the brawl. Hinata was keeping her distance from that dark-haired man, avoiding him as he struck. "Hinata, be careful!"

Tenkou took a second to look away from the fight to see what had taken Sasaki so long to get here. When he saw her, his face tensed in surprise. She was holding something he had never seen before, but he could easily guess as to its purpose. "Sasaki, you were the one who shot the sword guy, weren't you?"

"Yeah." She grinned, holding her compound bow proudly. "I'm not a normal ninja, I prefer to shoot from a distance – a sniper."

"No time for that!" Naruto shouted back at them. "There's got to be a way we can help her!"

"It's impossible to shoot an Uchiha." Sasaki frowned and shook her head.

"I know I can do something!" Tenkou grinned. "This whole place is covered in snow – covered in water!"

"Naruto, I think you should use something you're a little more familiar with." Hinata said. "Let Tenkou use that power, you should stick to Ninjutsu."

_Stick to Ninjutsu... _Naruto scowled. _It's been a while since I've used anything other than Rasengan... well, maybe not. I trained in so many techniques when I was here last time. I trained specifically for fighting in this kind of weather too. But I feel like I've forgotten so much already..._ He groaned silently and clenched his fists, ready to explode – he wanted to do something, anything. _Hinata's able to hold her own for now, but I don't know if Itachi is waiting to trick us or if he's..._

Out of nowhere, his vision blurred and the world around him went dark. _What's going on?!? _He shouted in his mind, because he found that his mouth wasn't able to move. Slowly, he watched the universe spiral in front of him, then go black again, then everything was white.

"This place... it's familiar." He turned his head and examined the room he was sitting in. A plain white room, no doors, no windows, no vents. The disoriented sensation was familiar too, it felt like the universe he was in was somehow less tangible than what was normal – like he could touch something and change it. "I remember... this is where Arashi and I went after fighting the Death God, and I think this is where I met that girl... she told me something about destiny."

"You remember me, Naruto-kun." The same girl was suddenly in the room. It wasn't as if she had just appeared, because she hadn't appeared. She was just there, but she hadn't been there the entire time either, but she had just come into existence in that room, and the room's existence had changed when she spoke. A door was also open on one of the walls, a door that had not been there, but at the same time had always been there.

"I hate this place..." The blonde teen groaned and rubbed his head. "It gives me a headache."

"Too bad, this is the only way I can talk to you. Arashi can see me when I'm in your world, and Hinata can hear my voice. But strangely, you can't, and you're the last person I would have expected to be completely numb to my presence on your plane."

"Well... can't you take me to a place in this… plane… that makes a little more sense?"

"Sorry, this is the most basic place. If you were to see the rest of it, you would never be able to comprehend it, you might go insane – never be yourself again." She suddenly didn't seem to have such a happy attitude. Even though she was there, and Naruto could see her – he couldn't _see_ her. Her features were hidden, the color of her hair, the complexion of her skin, the clothes she wore – or even if she wore any at all, or even if she even possessed a visible body – were all blank in his eyes. He just knew she was a girl, somehow.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"In this world, there is no such thing as time. Do you remember the first time we met? Well, that moment is happening right now in this world, on a different 'timeline'. In this room, at this very moment, I might be talking to you on a thousand instances, pulling you in and out. This is called 'Eternity', there is no beginning, there is no end. There is only now."

"I'm sorry I asked." He complained and closed his eyes. He wasn't all that surprised that when he closed his eyes, his perception of the things around him did not change. Instead of the blackness of the inside of his eyelids, he still 'saw' everything. It was only now that he noticed that he had a full 360-degree view of the room. "Hey... I can see in every direction..."

"That's only an illusion. In this world, there is no such thing as direction, so you can see all around you. This room exists because of you, so that you can enter this world and still have the feeling that you exist. This room itself is not a room, but an existence. If it isn't here, you are lost in my world – you do not exist, but at the same time, your mind and soul wander aimlessly forever, searching for their existence."

"There is no beginning, there is no end, there is only now." Naruto recited. "That's why you're talking that way, like everything is happening as we speak."

"You're catching on." She seemed to radiate a feeling of happiness. "I won't get into any more details about my home yet, but I want to help you. In the instance of your world that I took you from, Hinata is fighting with Uchiha Itachi."

"Yeah, that's right!" Naruto suddenly felt an onset of panic. "How did I forget that?"

"You are in a place where the past does not exist, it's hard to remember things from your own world here." She explained. "But that's not important, I brought you here to help you."

"How can you help me? Please!" He begged. "I can't remember most of my training, almost everything I learned when I trained with Ryoku is just... not there. I don't even know how long I've gone without knowing it."

"That's why I brought you here." She answered solemnly. "The week you ended your training, you forgot almost everything he taught you. In a sense, you also lost the physical conditioning you attained in your training, not literally, but in your mind."

"Huh?"

"Your body still had the prime conditioning that you built up in your daily exercise with Ryoku, but essentially, you forgot how to use it. For the last several months, you've been going on your own, without Ryoku's knowledge. You should really be proud of yourself for that."

"Yeah, but I guess I need it now." He blabbed impatiently.

"Don't worry, when I insert you back into your world, you will only be a minute further than when I took you. The extra minute is absolutely necessary, because if I reinsert your soul at a time too close to when I took it, then there is a chance I will put your soul on top of your own soul, they will clash with each other for dominion over your mind and body. If that happens, your brain will be scrambled, you will no longer be able to make sense of emotions, objects, time, colors, names, faces. That is unadulterated agony, and you would be better off dead."

"Lovely... Can you tell me how I lost the memories?"

"It's not obvious?" She asked, a little bit surprised. "The Kyuubi will stop at nothing to control you. Even indirectly, he can influence your decisions by limiting your options. If you don't have a strong technique or fighting style, then you are forced to use his power. Every time you use it, you lose a tiny bit of yourself. Every time, he moves closer to escaping."

"So... the Kyuubi did this? It made me forget?" He was as confused as ever. "How?"

"He didn't erase it, but he put a mental block around it. You and the Kyuubi are both yourselves, two individual consciousnesses sharing one body. But there is a tiny third consciousness inside you. That third consciousness is a mixture of your essence and his, the Kyuubi used that to put the barriers around the memories of your training, so that you would rely in its power more often. That's why you lost to that Risuki girl, and also how you were able to awaken the elemental control you now possess. It's a two-way street for a short bit, you gained the elemental powers and he gained a bit more control. But that's all you get, and you could lose much more, so I will remove the block on your memories."

"Will I lose the elemental powers?" He asked curiously.

"I don't know." She answered flatly. "When you awaken in your world, you may feel a rush of information being pumped into your head, or you may experience an extreme sense of nostalgia, or you may just feel like you're remembering things from a distant past. It doesn't matter, the point is that you will be significantly stronger."

That was the last Naruto saw of that world for the time being. He was thrust back into the infinite void that separated both worlds. He slowly regained his sense of time as he neared his home universe. Then, in one white flash, he woke up.

He felt something wet and cold on his face, then opened his eyes to see that he had fallen face-first into the snow. As he slowly stood up, he looked forward to see something truly incredible.

"Hina-Hinata!" He gasped. She looked completely different, glowing in an aura that was whiter than the snow on the ground. She held in her left hand a somewhat unfamiliar weapon – a silvery longbow - He recognized what it was, however he had only seen a few in his life. It was almost an afterthought when he saw what she was wearing: not much. "What's going on?!?"

"Naruto." He heard Tenkou's voice.

The blonde turned slowly toward the sound. "Tenkou?" He gasped. The blue-haired boy looked more than a little beat up. "What happened?"

"He got pissed when I tried to help her... so he decided to go all-out a little earlier than planned." Tenkou explained. "But... I can't wrap my head around the rest. Hinata suddenly blew up in the guy's face, in a big burst of light, she changed into that." He explained, pointing at the girl.

"Is this..." Naruto stared with great interest as she looked at the unfamiliar weapon in her own hand. "Tenshi no Moui?"

Hinata looked at the bow, unsure of what to do with it. When she decided not to use it, the bow simply dissolved into the air.

_Hinata, it's me again – Hana. That bow is a physical manifestation of your sacred chakra. With practice, you'll be able to use it as a long-range weapon. But for now, we should stick to what we're good at._ _You're too low on energy to do much, but Naruto should be able to help you in just a minute._

She nodded silently and vanished with her newfound explosive speed. _If I can save my energy and just dodge him, I can buy time for Naruto to wake up. That way, my power will last longer in case Naruto takes too long to prepare himself._

Little did she know, she didn't need to worry about that too much. As she was thinking that, Naruto grasped his head and fell back to the ground.

"What... what is this?" He asked nobody and moaned in anguish. "It's painful... Why does it hurt so much?!?"

He felt each memory fall into place in his consciousness. He remembered each technique he had learned, step by step, he remembered the fighting stances, one basic position at a time. Ultimately, he had just gone through ten months of constant training in only ten seconds.

"Whoa..." His eyes shot open when it was over. He felt amazing, it was like he had regained a little piece of himself that had been lost. Physically, he felt just as incredible; light as a feather, brimming with energy, ready to kick ass. "This is the difference? This is what the Kyuubi was hiding from me?"

He stood up, thrust his hand in the air to point at Itachi and flashed his world-famous confident grin, which nobody had seen in months. "Hey, Itachi!!!" He shouted in his old, loudmouth voice. "Come **get some**!"

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**W00T! We're finally hit the 40-chapter mark! Now, if you would be so kind as to answer my questions so that I'll be able to use _your_ feedback to improve the story!**

What do you think of the fight thus far?

What are you expecting from Naruto now?

How do you think Mei will react – in the long run - to Osanai's revelation that he has killed people?

Will you please review?

Would you please not kill me for making you wait so long? Pretty please?

**So please, PLEASE PLEASE review! Also, PLEASE visit my site. Remember, the link is on my profile page! If you could join the forum, that'd be amazingly helpful and I'd love you forever… although, that might be a little weird so I'll just give you a big THANK YOU instead, how's that?**

**REVIEW!**


	41. Business as Unusual

Everything came rushing back to him – every technique, every move, every stance, one-by-one, one step at a time. Ten months of training in ten seconds, all recalled from the blocked areas of his memory. Even techniques that he had invented himself and forgotten about, it felt like he was remembering more than only what Ryoku had taught him.

He felt incredible – like there had been a part of himself that had been missing for months, he felt so much energy inside him, he even remembered how to use techniques that he didn't know he had forgotten how to perform.

"Itachi!!" He yelled with his confident grin. "Come and get some!"

The dark-haired Akatsuki member could clearly see that something wasn't right. He shifted his attention away from Hinata and looked at Naruto standing proudly with that obnoxious smile on his face. _Was she just stalling? Do they actually have a plan here?_

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" He shouted and formed the single hand seal, performing his trademark technique.

Ten clones appeared in clouds of smoke, each with an identical grin to the original's. All in unison they shouted "It's time to show you my moves!"

"I've seen your moves, boy." Itachi growled. "I fought you only a few weeks ago – I doubt you've come up with anything new since then."

"We'll just see." The original – or at least, what was supposedly the original – chortled. "Without your Mangekyou, I think you might find this harder than expected."

Itachi was completely ignoring Hinata by now, which was good for her – she was out of energy, mostly due to the fact that she was unaccustomed to the cold temperatures. The fact that her clothes didn't cover much didn't help either.

"Tsch, we'll see."

Ten clones lined up and clasped hands, one end was facing in Itachi's direction while the other end pointed the opposite way. One more Naruto, which Itachi recognized with his Sharingan to be the original, clasped his own to hands together and started focusing intently. After a few seconds, he did a simple high-five with the last cone on the chain and shouted, "Senkourai!"

Within about a second's time, each link on the chain, each clone, twitched visibly in turn until the one closest to Itachi grinned and held up his hand, palm toward their opponent. "Release!"

The instant the last vowel of the word was uttered, a huge bolt of energy with a diameter of at least five feet, burning white with the intensity of the winter's sun, lanced out at the speed of light, consuming everything in its semi-random path.

Everything except for one Uchiha Itachi. He was standing, alive, however his face and hands were covered with burns, and his cloak was utterly ruined. For the second time in years, Kisame could see a purely shocked expression on his partner's face.

"Unexpected..." Itachi whispered quietly. "You win this round, but you understand that you had it easy, don't you? We'll meet later."

Somehow, he managed to vanish in a cloud of smoke, a transportation technique had already been prepared in the case they would need a hasty retreat. After he was sure they were gone, Naruto smiled ear-to-ear and disbanded his platoon of clones. Then he kind of blacked out.

**XXXXXXX**

"Itachi, what did he just do?" Kisame asked once he finished wrapping his punctured arm with bandages from Samehada. "That attack... where did it come from?"

"It looks like Ryoku taught him the basic principles of the technique. He just changed the parameters... that's what we were have to expect when fighting him, it shouldn't be surprising." He explained. "I'm almost embarrassed though, first: I let him hit me with that, and second: I was actually hurt by it."

"That's not your fault, though." Kisame consoled him a little. "Your chakra system is still injured. Even an Uchiha can't erect a shield of that strength if his chakra can't escape fast enough. Be glad you were even able to make one at all."

"You make sense." Itachi admitted. "Still, It's interesting... how did Naruto-kun gain so much power in such a short time? Last time we fought, he relied on a move like Rasengan, which is powerful and adaptive, but not something to depend on – his character is more creative, instinctive sometimes... something isn't right.

"Yeah, he wasn't nearly this strong last time, and it hasn't even been a month..."

**XXXXXXX**

"Wahh!!" The blonde boy screamed as a glass of cold water was poured onto his face. "What's the deal?!?"

"You blew up my roof!" Kentou – the average-looking one, save his red eyes - had his arms folded unhappily. "It's going to cost a fortune to fix, and what am I supposed to tell my insurance agency? It isn't exactly covered for giant-ass blasts of energy. I'll have to pay to have it fixed myself!"

"S-sorry..." Naruto scratched his head, embarrassed. "I guess I got a little excited..."

"Trust me, you aren't excited yet." Tenkou – the one with blue hair – whispered.

"Hey, Ken..." Sasaki patted his back gently as she exhaled exaggeratedly. "It's not his fault, and the roof isn't something you have to worry about too much." She said and turned to Naruto. "It's not as bad as he makes it sound, you really only blew off a few shingles and put a little hole in it."

"Oh, that's good I guess." He stood up and looked down on his clothes. "I'm soaked... Tenkou did this to me, didn't he?"

"Yep!" The blue-haired teen grinned mischievously.

Naruto sighed and attempted to remove the water from his drenched clothes. His water power seemed significantly weaker and harder to control now. Sasaki and Kentou sort of stared while Naruto sighed in annoyance. "Oh, where's Hinata?" He asked after realizing that his attempts to dry himself were in vain.

"She ran out of energy." Sasaki told him. "It's amazing that someone her size even had that much to begin with. Where'd it all come from… and what happened to her clothes when it happened, they kind of disappeared and changed into something else."

"I don't know." Naruto shook his head. "It's the first time I've seen her use the _Tenshi_ form. Last time, I was unconscious and didn't get to see anything. That was when her eyes changed from the normal Hyuuga white to the way they are now."

"Really?" Kentou looked a little suspicious of the situation and the story. "Tenshi, was it...? Would that make her an angel or something?"

Naruto almost said something extremely cheesy, like 'she's an angel to me' or some other weird cliché. "I think it's a bloodline ability, but she got from her mom who wasn't a Hyuuga."

"Sounds confusing, so I don't want to know – at least, not for the moment." Kentou's serious behavior during the whole conversation only seemed to be getting more intense. "I think it's time for me to stop playing around. You're being chased by the Akatsuki." He sat down on the floor, followed by the others. "The thing you just did with the water on your shirt, that's a power you get from the Kyuubi, isn't it?"

Naruto hesitated for a moment, then realized it wasn't so strange for Ryoku's friend to know at least a little, especially if he knew about Akatsuki. "Yes."

"Kyuubi?" Tenkou wasn't sure what they were talking about. "What's that?"

"A monster that lives inside of Naruto's body, it's a source of power for him, but I understand it's not all fun and games." Kentou explained. "Ten-kun, you have one as well, I can feel it within you, its power resonates within the bodies of Naruto and myself."

Naruto's eyes widened a little. "That means you're also one of us – a Jinchuuriki. But the way you said that... 'resonates'..."

"I think you're on the right track." Kentou started a short explanation, although he knew he would wind up explaining in full later – or at least forcing Ryoku to do it for him. "The more Jinchuuriki gather as allies, the more powerful they become."

"So we're like, invincible?" Naruto smiled excitedly.

"Don't get too giddy. We still have weaknesses, and there are hundreds of people who are stronger than even the three of us combined, probably even stronger than seven or eight of us. They're like walking devils, with the power to go along with their corrupt minds." He warned. "And I hate to break it to you, but while your performance against Itachi was impressive, you can't even dream of defeating him when he uses his full power."

A short few seconds of silence ticked by before a soft moan emanated from the bed on the side of the room. "Hinata?" Naruto stood up quickly to check on her.

"Yeah..." She slowly sat up and blushed when she saw everyone. "You know... I didn't notice last time it happened, but when I use that power, my clothes..."

The blonde laughed heartily. "It probably didn't help with the cold either, you didn't have anything to keep you warm. But at least you were able to see my performance out there."

"Yeah." She nodded, but there was a strange look in her eyes – she almost looked worried about something. "What happened to you out there? All of a sudden, you just stood up and shouted... it was almost like..."

"What?" Now he was a little worried.

"Well... I didn't notice it, but over the last few years, you've gone through a lot of changes. At first, you were sort of dark, you didn't want to trust anybody and you seemed to want to be alone. But a few weeks later, you seemed a little more like your old self. Then, when things were kind of happy, meeting Genka, falling asleep together, – even if it was one of her tricks – everything was going a little more smoothly by then, we weren't as worried about running from Konoha anymore."

Naruto nodded while the others listened politely, all of them were at least a little interested in Naruto's and Hinata's history together.

"You left for a long time to train with Ryoku, and when you came back, you seemed so much like your old self. You smiled at me, and you didn't seem to want to be alone anymore."

"Are you kidding?" Kentou was staring at the girl. "When he was up here, the light bulbs would go out whenever he entered a room... or something like that. The point is that he _never_ smiled."

"Really?" She shrugged and went on. "But then, I didn't even notice it, after that, you started to be slightly less like yourself every day. You were wonderful to me, and you were still just as kind, but you were still missing something."

"Yeah..." Naruto scratched his head. "Well, I'm back to normal now, I guess. I don't think I'll ever understand completely how it all happened, and I _know_ I'll never be able to explain it."

"This is all really interesting and all, but we've still got the business of Akatsuki and the Jinchuuriki." Ken interrupted impatiently.

"Oh, yeah that's right." Naruto nodded. "We need to pound them in good, before Itachi gets better."

"I don't think-" Kentou started muttering before he suddenly cut himself off. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Naruto put his hands by his ears like little parabolic sound collecting dishes and turned around the room.

"AAHHHH!" Blue-boy Tenkou screamed as a large bird crashed into his face.

"Oh, it's a message from Ryoku." Kentou smiled, oblivious to Tenkou's plight, and opened a letter strapped to the bird's leg. "Hmm... Looks like the war finally started. Stone sent an attack force to Konoha, but it was intercepted by an elite defense force."

"Damn..." Naruto cursed under his breath. "How'd the fight go?"

"A group called 'Shugokage' intervened and killed ninety percent of both armies."

"W..." Naruto and Hinata both stared at the parchment in the man's hand. "That's impossible..." Naruto muttered in disbelief.

"Shugokage is..." Hinata couldn't believe it either. "Our group... we started it. Naruto invented the name... he planned it all out."

"Well, after that, it says that..." Kentou read a little further down until he found something. " it says 'to be honest, the Kazekage and I were the Shugokage 'members' who did it. My old student, Naruto, will probably kill me for it when I find him, but it was necessary."

"He doesn't have to find me!" Naruto shouted all of a sudden. "We're going to find him!"

"Count me in too." Kentou sighed and shook his head. "Something tells me Sasaki and I are going to wind up on your little team anyway. I can help you find him."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After a few days passed, Shikamaru was back into his normal routine. He was still teaching at the Academy, whenever he had a chance. The events of the other day didn't bother him too much – at least, he wouldn't tell anyone if he was bothered anyway.

But something still bugged him; Temari had been one of the dark-robed people who seemed to have planned the trap. And something bothered him more still: the fact that he was bugged that Temari was one of the dark-robed people.

"Shugokage... that's what he said, right?" He recalled the deep voice that the tallest figure owned. "That man... that power. Who the hell was he? And why did Temari save me- Why do I keep thinking back to her?!?" He shook his head vigorously and sighed. "This is so troublesome."

It was early morning, and it was still his first month of living alone. There had been several reasons for his moving out, the biggest of which was because his parents always bugged him about finding a wife, or at least a good girlfriend. But living alone had its troublesome areas – he had to cook for himself, or go out and spend extra money at a restaurant or something.

So that meant that he had to go out to eat this morning. He threw on some casual clothes, slipped into some plain shoes and headed to the door. He suddenly heard three loud knocks before he opened it.

"I was about to go get breakfast." He complained to himself as he stepped up to answer it. When the door was opened, he froze. "T...Temari? What are you..."

"You can't tell _anyone_ what you know about the other day." She informed him after letting herself in. "It doesn't have anything to do with my village, we're still allies of Konoha. But I had to go, I was dragged along for the ride – we needed more people to dress up and look scary."

"To be honest, I don't even want to know why it all happened." He shrugged. "And I guess I'm not going to be able to get rid of you until you want me to. Still... something has me confused. Why did you save me?"

"Eh?" She kind of stepped back – only an inch or two – then regained her composure. "I don't know, it was a crazy decision I made at the last second. Don't ask me why I did it..."

"You know..." Shikamaru grinned victoriously, even if it was a very tiny grin. "Your reaction and body language just now... It's impossible but... Well, I wouldn't say 'you like me', but that's the best way I can phrase it for now."

She obviously didn't appreciate that comment, but remained silent.

"So..." Shikamaru started seriously again. "Why are you here?"

"To make sure you don't say anything about what you saw... but..." She hesitated for a moment. "Maybe... to find out for myself why I saved you."

"So what was the answer?"

"Not what I wanted it to be, that's for sure." She answered quietly.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"So, Zan." Risuki decided to initiate conversation with their new associate now that Ryu had gone to shower in their current apartment's bathroom. She and Ryu were staying in their own room while Zan was in the adjacent one. "Where are you from?"

"I don't know." He answered honestly. His personality seemed so different now than when they first met. He was confident and loud, but now that seemed to be all but gone. "I grew up in Atsui-sama's organization."

"How did you find out then... about being a Jinchuuriki?"

"I met two people a few years ago while I was on a special mission for Atsui-sama. A wise old man and his young student, who was about our age. The kid was rash and headstrong, I didn't see what made him worth training until the man explained to me about the Jinchuuriki. Then he told me that there was a similar energy inside me, and that I was a Jinchuuriki like that boy. That's the story."

"An old man and a kid..." She leaned back a little bit, it sounded so familiar somehow. "I think I've heard a story like that before… did you get any names?"

"No, I didn't." He shrugged. "I wasn't really interested at the time. In fact, I wasn't interested in the whole Jinchuuriki thing until I met you and Ryu. I figured it wouldn't really be all that important."

"I don't exactly know how important it is either, but I do know there are people out there that want our power." Risuki shook her head lightly. "So is that how you're able to move so fast?"

"What, you still think it's a trick?" He looked almost insulted.

"To tell the truth, yes. Ryu was right when he said it's impossible. And your whole 'one-hand-clapping' demonstration only proved it."

"Huh?"

"In order to make a noise when you clap your hands, you have to compress the air between your hands. 'Instant' movement implies that an object is passing from point A to point C immediately, without passing through point B. That wouldn't move any air, no matter what. But in theory, if you move fast enough, you can actually clap with one hand."

"You're smarter than you let Ryu know..." Zan sighed. "I don't want to get into the details. For now, let's just say that it's a combination of both types of movement."

"I guess that works for me." She shrugged indifferently and fell backward onto the bed she was sharing with Ryu. "You know... you're right about me; I kind of let him think I'm a little... bold."

"Nah, I know you better." She heard Ryu's voice as the door to the room opened. "It makes life a little easier though. Less serious, you know?"

"Yeah, whatever." Risuki laughed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Osanai, you don't look so good." Sasame noticed. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Meh..." He mumbled as he entered the room. It was mid-morning the next day, and everyone there was already wide awake. "Not really. I'm fine though."

"Are you sure that's healthy?" Mei wondered worriedly. "You should get all the rest you can get..."

He couldn't do anything but smile appreciatively. "I'll get by."

"Is there anything I can do?" She asked him, wishing she could somehow help him.

"You've done enough already." He chuckled while he collapsed into the large and cushy chair with her. "You have to worry about yourself too, especially with your arm how it is. It'll only heal if you take it easy."

"But I-"

"I'm supposed to be protecting you, Mei-chan." He smiled teasingly. "Let me feel manly."

"Protecting…" Her voice dropped to a low volume as she remembered the other day's conversation. _Killing to protect. _

"Mei, are you okay?"

She blinked slowly and put on a half-smile. "Can you promise me something?"

"Uh… Sure, anything." He replied hesitantly. "What is it?"

"Don't kill anyone for my sake." She said clearly and seriously. "If you're going to protect me, find some cleaner way to do it than fighting."

Osanai's face went blank for a moment. "But… Mei, I… I have to do my job. And even if it wasn't my job, I'd still-"

"Stop." She interrupted in a quiet yet very heavy voice. "If you kill someone for my safety, then I'm the one to blame. If you do that to me…"

Sasame left the room quickly to avoid getting involved in this. In the next room, she saw Genka was listening intently to the conversation as well.

"Looks like they're going over a rough patch in the road." The woman sighed pitifully. "Naruto and Hinata have had a few hard times too, so I'm sure these two can make it."

"Haha... yeah." Sasame chortled nervously. "When do you think they'll get back anyway?"

"It's hard to say... I don't know how long it takes to get to Ryoku's house, how long it'll take to find him, how long it'll take to convince him to come back here. There are too many unknowns."

"How do you know this guy anyway?" Sasame asked curiously, eager to change the subject.

"Ryoku?" Genka looked a little surprised. "I guess we haven't talked about him much since you joined up with us. He's my brother, and the one who trained Naruto for almost a year right after he and Hinata ran away."

"Really? Then don't you know how to get to his house?"

"No, he's still an official member of Rain, but they have him stationed in Snow to train elite ninjas to endure in any situation." She explained. "I ran away from Rain when I was still young, years and years ago."

"Why'd you run away?"

Genka sighed and smiled lightly, as if recalling some sweet memory. Then her smile seemed to fade with the memory. "It's a long story. The short version goes like this: I didn't like the way they handled things, so I took off. But on a more interesting note." Her trademark evil smirk appeared from nowhere. "Shuuzen used to date Ryoku."

"Aah!" Shuuzen screeched. "You're not supposed to tell anyone that!"

"But it _sounds_ so funny when I tell it." Genka laughed cruelly and continued. "When we were your age, every guy we knew was after her. You see, now that we're a little older – I'm twenty-nine and she's thirty – the white hair and pale skin don't look nearly as good. On a woman, it seems homely, but on a sixteen year old girl, all the boys found it electrifying."

"Okay..."

"Oh, it gets better. Ryoku was the coolest boy around, he was big, strong, smart and fairly polite for a teenager. All the girls were going after him, so we decided to pretend they were dating to get everyone off their backs."

"Smart, I guess..."

"It was at first, but after a few weeks, they started getting pretty close. Some of the stupider boys got jealous and tried to take out all their frustrations on him, but he took all their torture and kept playing out little game of pretend."

"He didn't..." Sasame laughed once and smiled. "Did he?"

"Fall in love? Yeah, after those few weeks, he was crazy about her. They had their first kiss soon after, and had a happy life together for several years. But I was the first one to get engaged..." She trailed off after that, staring at the counter where she had been preparing a snack.

"Not all stories have a happy ending, though." Shuuzen shook her head and took over the story. "Her to-be went on a mission a week before their wedding, and he was killed in action by an unknown assassin. A few months later, Genka told me she was going to run away for other reasons and asked me to come with her, so I left Ryoku to keep her company."

"Just like that?" Sasame was shocked. "Didn't you love him?"

"Of course I did, but Genka needed me more than Ryoku, and he was becoming more and more involved with the village, I felt like I was getting in the way of what he had to do anyway."

"He was so depressed that he nearly got killed a few times in the following weeks because he made careless mistakes that even normal people can avoid. After a few years, I built a little house in Rain while Shuuzen moved to a city in Fire country. I heard from Ryo every now and then for the next couple of years or so... then the rest is history, I guess."

"So what's going to happen if Naruto is able to bring him here with us?"

"Things have changed a lot since those days. It's impossible to guess the future." Shuuzen answered with a slightly depressed sigh.

"Do you still... you know." Sasame asked shyly. "Love him?"

Shuuzen just replied with an unsure shrug. The conversation was over now, so Sasame decided to check up on Mei and Osanai. She walked back into the living area to find them still sitting on that big, comfy chair that Mei's father had gotten from God-knows-where. But there was a small difference now: Osanai was fast asleep and Mei had a bittersweet smile.

"Did I miss something?" Sasame asked awkwardly. "How long was I in there?"

"Not long. We were just sitting here like this... then he was asleep." She let out a quiet laugh. "I guess he really didn't get any rest last night."

"So he's able to sleep in your arms, even when he couldn't sleep all night? That's... sweet." Sasame started to look a little gloomy.

"Yeah, but it'd be kind of difficult if he was _only_ able to sleep like this..." Mei laughed happily at the thought. "But it wouldn't be _too_ bad. I think I'd be able to get used to it"

"Only able to..." Sasame mumbled to herself. "Osanai might be really similar to Naruto... if he can only sleep in one girl's arms."

"What was that?" Mei asked her. "You just started whispering."

"Nothing... nevermind."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Neji wasn't sure what to do anymore. He was starting to realize that it was impossible to track Naruto without any help. On top of that, he didn't even know what he would do when they actually met up. So now he was just wandering around aimlessly, looking for something or someone who might be able to tell them something.

"Hey..." He heard a vaguely familiar voice some distance away. "That's... Hyuuga Neji."

"Is it?" Another voice, this one completely unknown, asked interestedly. "Is he related to Hinata?"

"If I remember correctly, they are cousins." The first voice said.

That was enough to send the boy into alert as he quickly tried to find the sources of the two voices. After only a split second, he saw two men, dressed completely in black, sitting on stools in an open restaurant, facing at him.

"Oh, looks like he could hear us..." The unfamiliar voice sounded comically worried.

"I should have kept my mouth shut." The first man folded his arms and turned back to the counter. "Don't screw anything up."

"You." Neji whispered seriously as he approached. "What do you know about Hinata?"

"Umm..." The black-robed man pulled his hood back and scratched his chin. "Well, I don't know a whole lot about her to be honest, but she's pretty cute. A little young for an old timer like me." He laughed and pointed at himself – while he couldn't be much more than thirty years of age.

"You were the man at the Kazekage's office." Neji observed interestedly, remembering the encounter with this man – whom Kiba recognized as the one who had been with Naruto. "Why are you so interested in my cousin?"

The man chuckled and shook his head. "To tell you the truth, I'm not as interested in her as I am in you. You see, there's this thing about me..." He grinned and pulled the familiar form of a forehead protector from a pocket. Engraved into its surface were the straight lines that signified a ninja from the Rain village. "I guess I never told you where I'm from. A runaway like her isn't important to Rain. You, however, are a prominent enemy to my home village."

Now Neji was really on guard. He wasn't about to let this man get the upper hand here. "Why aren't you attacking me then?"

"To tell the truth..." He sighed and stared at the ground. "I don't like fighting very much. But this week alone, I probably killed more people that you have in your career as a ninja. I just don't want to fight right now. My anti-social friend isn't attacking you because he isn't your enemy, so you can just ignore him."

Neji nodded, insinuating that he was waiting for more information.

"Well, let's see..." The man thought aloud. "Hinata... back in Rain... Genka's cottage... a few months..."

"Is she still with Naruto?" Neji asked sternly, he was getting tired of the man's games.

"Something tells me that you'll be able to reimburse me for this information." The man smiled wisely and continued. "Yep, she's traveling with Uzumaki Naruto right now, after training for about a year in advanced medicine and Genjutsu, so she must be pretty good at that. Naruto-kun is... terrifyingly powerful, but I don't think he has any idea how to use all that power properly, so he's not the best fighter in the world, not by a long shot. I last saw those two together in a little cottage in Rain country about three or four months ago."

"That at least fills in a few empty spaces." Neji sighed and thought for a moment. "As far as I know, they've been staying in the area around where Waterfall used to be. Consider that your reimbursement."

"Neji-kun, you're one lousy businessman... something tells me that we'll be doing business again."

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**Neji and Ryoku finally meet! And now they each have a little bit of information they lacked before. I wonder what will happen now… who knows? Catch up next time to find out what Ryoku and Neji will do with the new knowledge!**

**And of course, QUESTION TIME!**

The mystery is becoming a little steeper for Neji, it seems. How do you think he'll go about his business?

Things seem to be getting more complex for the runaway Shugokage members, and they've picked up a new friend too. What do you think about their current situation?

How did you like the conclusion of the fight between Naruto and Itachi?

What do you think Shikamaru is going to do about all this?

**REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	42. The Timeline

**Hello, and WELCOME to another chapter of the Runaways story, starring our favorite couple... Naruto and Hinata! **

**First, I'd like to apologize for the past two months or so of infrequent updates. I promise that ends with this chapter. Read the explanation of that after reading the chapter here.**

**More importantly, I recently had an idea I'd like to bounce off you guys to see how it comes back: I was thinking that since there are so many different events, plot objects, characters and such that I've incorporated into my story (as you guys often complain t me about...) and I got the idea to write sort of a "Runaways Encyclopedia" or something. I'd put it on fanfiction net as another fic, but instead of it being a story, it'd have information on the things I've written about so far. I'm sure it'd be great to refresh your memories on things that have happened, been mentioned and most importantly: names of the characters and their roles in the story.**

**I know it would be useful, but the real question is; would it be worthwhile? Please let me know in your review!**

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A week's time had passed. During that time, the ill and sometimes near-death Osanai went in and out of consciousness, as well as in and out of the hospital. To his good fortune, the experts and Shuuzen had been able to stabilize him for the time being. And to his great relief, that had given him the opportunity to grow closer to Mei, the most worried person of all those present.

Ryu, Risuki and Zan – the new Jinchuuriki who had been working the gang boss Atsui - were able to get into Wave country without any trouble. But they had to tread more carefully as they neared their goal of reaching Ryu's master – if they were found, he would surely be arrested. Unfortunately, that didn't leave much time for them to relax, and their nerves were starting to wear thin.

Naruto, Hinata and their new companions were finally back on the familiar ship that had brought them to the frigid land of Snow country. Tenkou – who had been given the shorter nickname of "Ten", Sasaki and Kentou – who had similarly been given a new nickname "Ken" – all felt apprehensive, and somewhat uneasy; they didn't know exactly what to expect. And even more, they had almost no idea of what they actually had thrown themselves into.

Neji, discouraged from a weak of fruitless searching, had all but abandoned his hunt for the two missing-nins from Konoha. Heading toward his home village, he was soon going to discover the grim fate of almost one-hundred of its ninjas in the Shugokage incident. For the moment, he felt satisfied, but knew that it was far from complete, and that his stay in Konoha was only going to be an intermission from his ultimate pursuit.

Shikamaru, Sakura and the other survivors of the 'battle' against stone and the mysterious 'Shugokage' warriors were not only confused, but they also had to put up with interviews and questions that the ANBU were conducting. Every day, it was another ANBU member asking _almost_ the same questions as the last.

Shikamaru, who knew pretty much everything about what happened, was having a hard time putting up with the nearly invasive investigation. But even with the Konoha detectives breathing down his and the others' backs, he was even more bugged by the things Temari had told him a week ago.

Kiba and Hanabi returned to an unfamiliar home. The heiress was now the head of Hyuuga house, and her new responsibilities were utterly daunting. She never knew there was anything important to do in the position, but she was quickly learning now that she would be kept busy for a long time.

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Now we return to more recent events. Four black-robed figures approached the towering behemoth of a waterfall as it crashed down as it had for thousands of years in the past, and would undoubtedly do so for thousands of years to come. One figure, obviously a man of great stature, stood at the very least a head and a half taller than the rest. The next tallest was carrying an object the size of his own body – which probably weight just as much - on his back, wrapped in white tape.

The next one, about the same height as the final one, had a long black object strapped over the back, and a more slender figure, along with a slightly different style of robes than the rest.

The last, who was of average height, carried a clay gourd painted and etched with various symbols. It seemed as if it weighed at least as much as he did, and some would wonder how he was able to stand upright with the cumbersome object strapped in that unbalanced position.

From the descriptions, it probably isn't very hard to guess the identities of these mysterious strangers; The Sand Trio and the elusive Ryoku.

They knew that by now, the Waterfall village had to be aware of their presence; they had probably triggered some sort of alarm just by walking near the entrance. Of course, there were probably a small number of scouts being sent to investigate them at that very moment. So they waited for the inevitable rude welcome.

After a few short seconds, four ninjas leapt through the falls. They landed on their feet in front of the group and gave them a quick once-over to evaluate the situation.

Ryoku could easily tell by the men's faces that his and his colleagues' appearances weren't comforting. But the female leader of the group was more professional.

"Genka-kun!" Ryoku greeted the woman cheerfully. "It's been too long."

Genka's face took on a color similar to green or blue as she realized who the voice belonged to. "R... Ryoku." She sighed and looked at the three behind him, assuming they were Naruto, Hinata and someone else. "Hey... what's with those getups?"

"We didn't want anyone to recognize us." He answered simply, wondering why she had asked. "So how's Naruto-kun?"

'Naruto?" She blinked a few times in surprise. "He... isn't with you?"

"No."

"Then..." She pointed at the three behind Ryoku, wondering who they must be before she realized he had asked her a question. "Oh... they went to Snow to find you."

"Really?" One of his eyebrows went up in entertainment at the irony. "I've been out of the country for at least a month now, visiting various acquaintances. How long has Naruto been away?"

"A few weeks..."

"Hmm..." He scratched his chin. "I hope they're okay... that's a long time to be gone, even if you are in Snow country. But the boat ride can be as long as a week, depending on the captain of the ship."

"Oh..." She only now started to loosen up, and motioned for the Waterfall-nins to do the same. "So who're your friends?'

"What, you don't recognize them? I was told that you'd already met." Ryoku jabbed sarcastically. "Although, it's true their faces are covered right now..."

"Besides that, it's been over a year." The tallest of them said as they all pulled their hoods down.

Genka reeled back on her heels in shock. "You three are...!"

"This annoying man came to talk to me in my office last month. It took some convincing, but he talked me into a tentative partnership with this organization." The Kazekage explained.

"Um..." She was still speechless. "Let's go inside..."

"Okay." Ryoku replied cheerfully and followed her through the falls.

Once they were about a hundred feet into the ornately decorated tunnel, Genka could tell that her older brother was becoming less and less confident. It was a very tiny change, and he still radiated a sense of self-assuredness. But she could tell something was getting to him.

"She's in the town nearby right now." She told him and displayed her patented all-knowing smile.

"What makes you think that I was thinking about her?" He quickly retorted.

"How'd you know who I was talking about?" She challenged, her grin expanding by a factor of three.

He was silent again for another minute or two, then he spoke up. "Uh... Why?"

"The leader of this village is very ill." She answered. "He's a good kid."

"She's a good doctor... a good person." He smiled just the tiniest bit. "I... never mind."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"You said you've never been away from home before, right?" Tenkou asked as he joined Sasaki. She was looking over the stern of the ship, where the port they were leaving had recently slipped under the horizon.

"Yeah, this is kind of weird for me. I've never even been on a boat." She chuckled lightly at herself. "It's kind of intimidating."

The blue-haired boy looked astounded at what she said. "The ocean?" He asked, as if it had never occurred to him that to some, the vastness of the sea could be daunting.

"No, I meant just leaving everything familiar behind and starting somewhere else." She clarified. "You know what I mean?"

He smiled and looked further out, over the horizon at the snow-capped mountains.. "I know exactly what you mean. I left my home about a year ago. My whole family is still there, but I can't even do so much as write them a letter."

"Yeah... you told me that once, didn't you? You came from somewhere far away."

"It's not bad after a while. I missed my old friends for the first few weeks, but then I got used to it."

"So do you know if you'll ever go back?"

"Not sure." He shook his head slowly. "I don't think they expect me to return. If they don't think I'm dead, then they probably figure I wouldn't want to return there anyway.

Sasaki looked a little surprised. "Why would they think you're dead... and why wouldn't you want to go home?"

"I left with a stranger – the captain of this ship – to explore the world. And I come from a small island that is kind of secluded, even if our town is part of a powerful country." The words he used seemed solemn, but he still had a noticeable smile while he spoke. "I miss them, I do. But it's just so far away."

"Did you leave a girlfriend behind?" She joked. It seemed that his attempt to lighten her mood had been at least a partial success.

"No, not really." He laughed aloud and grinned. "I wasn't '_old enough_' to date when I left. It was an unwritten rule that you shouldn't have a relationship until you're sixteen."

The girl just stared for a few seconds... then she burst out laughing. "That's a stupid rule!" She yelled between laughs.

"Well there's nothing I can do about that..." He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "It made sense to all of us, anyway. It's not like we weren't allowed to hang out with girls or anything."

"Oh..." She slowly calmed down and forced back her laughter. "Sorry... it just sounds so weird."

"So you have a boyfriend?" He challenged, hoping his comeback would work.

"Uh..." She scratched her cheek. "No..."

"And have you ever had one?" His grin grew as he anticipated the answer.

"No..."

He laughed victoriously at her. "Really? Then how can you make fun of me?"

"Fine, you win." She grumbled under her breath and stared back out to sea. "I won't make fun of your customs anymore... unless..." Her defeated expression changed to one of hope and a little mischief. "I get a boyfriend before I turn sixteen!"

He stared at her and blinked for a few seconds, then chuckled in amusement. "Oh...? How do you plan on doing that? I really want to hear this."

"Ehhh..." Her smart-aleck look changed again to a sort of blank expression. "I'm pretty, I can find someone when we get to... wherever we're going."

"How long until your birthday?"

She started grumbling under her breath again and turned back to the ocean. "Two weeks..."

"We'll be on the ship for the next three or four days." He informed her. "Good luck with your plan. But if it somehow succeeds, feel free to mock me all you want."

"Oh, I will."

Tenkou shook his head and chuckled to himself. "Whatever, I'm going to go see if the captain needs anything."

On his way to the command room, he passed her brother, who was giving him a calculating look. "Hey, Ken... what is it?" he asked hesitantly, unsure of what was going on here.

"You and Sasaki get along surprisingly well." He answered honestly. "She's always been kind of a tomboy. Sure, she talks about which guys are cute, which are cool, which are... well, not cool or cute, but she's never been interested in them."

Tenkou looked a little puzzled at this. "Are you saying she's interested in me or something?"

"No, I wouldn't know if she is or isn't – she's hard to read. She's just pretty open with you, that's all. So I guess... you're interesting or something; easy to talk to, maybe."

"Maybe it's..." He shrugged. "because I'm the same way."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ryu sighed in annoyance for the thirty-seventh time in the last two hours. He was inconspicuously eating at one of the ever-present restaurant stands with Risuki and Zan, their new 'partner in crime'. "Is it just me, or are there a _lot_ of Mist-nins running around in this area?"

"We _are_ pretty close to the village... right?" Risuki offered a possible explanation.

"Not really, the village is on a small island that's separate from the rest of the main islands... I wonder... maybe something big has happened that we don't know about."

"Why don't you just get a disguise or something? Nobody knows who I am, and Zan is a complete stranger no matter where you go."

"Thanks, I really appreciate that." Zan, Atsui's right-hand man and one of the most respected people in the underworld, groaned sarcastically. "It really means a lot to me."

"Blah." She shut him out and returned to the current situation. "So what about it? Dye your hair or something."

"Dye my hair?" The look on his face just screamed 'no way in hell'.

"It was just an idea..." She shrugged. "And how exactly do you plan on finding him by skulking around like this?" She asked, foolishly questioning his ability to plan ahead.

He gave her another look, this one asked 'are you an idiot?'. Then he answered; "By going to his house, duh."

"Shut up." She groaned. "So where is his house anyway?"

"Not far from here, it's actually on this island." He informed her and looked around a little. "But there's not anywhere to get a disguise. There goes your wonderful plan."

"Hey, I have an idea." Zan injected cheerfully.

Risuki shushed him again, but Ryu wanted to hear it. "Yeah?"

"You and I wait here while we send Risuki to his house, at least to find out what the security is like on the way there. Maybe she can even talk him into meeting us somewhere."

Ryu raised his eyebrows. "It just might be stupid enough to work!"

"Eh... stupid?" Zan didn't appreciate that remark.

"Actually, the idea itself is pretty good! But the stupid part is where you assumed she'd do that willingly. Still, all the ideas that she hated usually worked in the end." He said with a grin to tease her, however true the comment may have been. "So, Risuki?"

"I hate you." She growled out of reflex. It felt weird saying it now, while a few weeks ago she said it on an almost hourly basis. But now that things were so different between them, she felt weird being so abrasive. "Fine, I'll do it."

"Off you go then!" Ryu laughed and waved his hand. "Don't take too long."

Risuki murmured several rude phrases under her breath as she stomped away, leaving Ryu and Zan behind.

"She's entertaining." Ryu laughed heartily and returned to his cheap meal.

"Aren't you being a little sarcastic? Almost mean, even?" Zan asked concernedly. "She's your girlfriend, right?"

"I guess you're not really familiar with mine and Risuki's past." Ryu calmed down a little and dropped his chopsticks again. "She used to be a pretty respected ninja in Sound, even ran a base in Tea country. I kinda moved in there one day and never moved out."

"Why?"

"Well, first off, it was safe in there. I was on the run from Hunter-nins from Mist, and they probably figured that even I'm not stupid enough to ask Sound to protect me."

"And second?"

"Like I said; she's entertaining." He said with a chuckle. "She was dark and professional at first, then she kind of started to grow up, in a sense. Within a month, she was a sarcastic little devil. Another month and she was mocking every move I made. Then I sort of fell in love with her."

"Sarcastic and mocking..." Zan's eyes showed some serious doubt in Ryu's preference in girls.

"Maybe I like being abused." Ryu chuckled at his little joke. "To be honest, we started to spend a lot of time together. While she was loud and foul-mouthed most of the time, there was still something that mystified me about her. And I felt like she was able to understand me."

"Whatever suits you, I guess."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"How much longer do you think we have?" Kenta, the head of the hospital, asked Shuuzen. "I don't think it'll be enough. There's just no way we can stop this process."

"Don't be so negative." She said quietly, even as the same gloomy thoughts were circulating in her own mind. "There has to be something we can do."

"His body is just falling apart from the inside." He murmured and shook his head after taking another peek through a microscope containing a muscle sample from Osanai's thigh. "It looks like even his muscles will go at this rate, it could even start as soon as today. It's a miracle that everything still works, but it's all hanging on by a thread. When the first organ fails completely, we may only have an hour left before he dies."

"There has to be something that hasn't been affected." Shuuzen whispered. "What about his brain?"

"He seems alert..." Kenta admitted, a microscopic glimmer of hope in his eye. After a few more seconds, the glow faded again. "But even if it _is_ unaffected, there isn't anything we could do with that knowledge. The poison has dissolved into every cell in his body. His blood is barely able to keep enough oxygen to his limbs to keep him moving, or to his brain to keep him conscious, his bones have even started to slowly deteriorate. This just seems hopeless."

"We can't give up, though." The woman shook her head slowly. "Waterfall needs him."

"That isn't the only problem, I'm afraid." He said painfully. "The hospital has lost a small mountain of money in research and lab materials. He has no money, and he isn't insured. Our overflow budget has been maxed out because of him. I really hate to do this to him, but we just can't afford any more of this. All we can do now is make his last few weeks comfortable."

Shuuzen gasped in complete astonishment. She couldn't believe what he said, it was impossible. Turning on her heels, she stared at him with wide eyes. That was all she could do, no words could escape her mouth.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." He apologized sincerely. "But it's out of my hands. Even I have bosses, and they've decided to cut the research and let him die. I had to beg for us to just be able to make sure he doesn't feel too much pain."

She couldn't think of any words to say, unsure whether she should thank him for everything he tried to do, to yell at him for not trying hard enough, to apologize for putting him through this whole venture to begin with, or any of a thousand other things she wasn't sure how to say.

He walked out of the hospital's lab, leaving her alone. It still took another minute for everything to fall into place in her mind. _Osanai... he's going to die? _She wondered, even while she knew the answer at this point. _He can't die... what about Mei?_

"Oh god..." She whispered loudly. "Mei... what will she do?"

She sulked out of the room, down the hall and out the building without making eye contact with anyone. She just wanted to get back to the Abunai house. Even so, she didn't know what to do after getting there.

"Why the long face, Sara-chan?" A foggily familiar voice asked in an almost upbeat manner.

"Sara..." Shuuzen repeated nostalgically. "I haven't heard that name in years." She looked up, and sure enough, there was Ryoku's giant form. "It's been a while."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I'm fine." Osanai mumbled, almost annoyed by the constant warnings from Mei and Sasame. At least it was easy to get Mei to calm down with a little kiss, but it would be kind of weird for him to kiss Sasame. "It's not like I'm going to fall and break my neck."

"You said the same thing the other day." Mei argued. "You wound up in the hospital that time, be more careful."

Osanai had left his bed and walked into the living room to be with the others, Mei caught him at the entrance though - and started worrying. Sasame was in the room too, shaking her head and watching them. "Osa, you should be more careful. Just sit down somewhere and stay there."

Osanai looked annoyed. "Stop calling me that."

Mei turned around and glared at the other girl grumpily. "Only I can call him that."

_That's not exactly what I meant..._ He thought blankly, then sneaked past Mei and sat in his favorite cushy chair while she wasn't looking. Quickly afterward, she sat down next to him and somehow managed to silently let him know she wasn't happy, but was at the same time.

"You guys haven't even known each other for a month and you're like this." Sasame groaned. "At this rate, you'll be sharing a bed by the end of the week. You'd be married a few days later if you weren't so young."

"I just like being close to her." Osanai laughed at how cheesy that sounded. "I can't get enough."

"I can." Sasame rolled her eyes and stood up to leave the room. On her way out, she turned around and smiled, then went through the door. _Maybe... no... I'll never be like that... with Naruto._

The couple laughed at the sight. "I think we might've scared her off." Osanai joked while he sank a little deeper into the thick cushions on the luxurious seat.

"Maybe, but I think she's also a little jealous." Mei added with sort of a strange expression on her face; a smile that was neither happy nor sad. "She loves someone who is already taken."

"Really?" Osanai looked a little shocked for a moment. "Who?"

"Naruto, she said you know him too." The redhead responded. "I don't know their history, but I _do_ know she loves him. He's always on her mind, but he's also in love with someone else."

"Hinata..." Osanai muttered. "It's impossible for Sasame to beat her"

"What do you mean?" Now it was Mei's time to be confused.

"The minute Naruto loses Hinata, bad things will happen." He answered carefully. "She's the only thing keeping him alive."

XXXXX

"Sasame," Came Shuuzen's depressed tone as the girl walked through the doorway. "There's... bad news."

"Bad news?" She immediately began to worry, and after a few seconds, she caught on to what it could be. "No..."

"They can't do anything else for him." She shook her head slowly and let out a long, exhausted sigh. "After everything we've tried, the hospital won't let Kenta do anything else for Osanai. He's going to die."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Hinata..._ The mental voice said inside the girl's head.

_You're... Hana? _Hinata vaguely remembered the voice's name. _You seem worried._

_I guess so..._ The voice said slowly, or at least, it seemed slow in her head. _You need to hurry. We're... running out of time._

_Time for what? _Hinata asked._ What do you know that we don't?_

_More than I want to._ Was the solemn response.

_What do you need to tell me?_

_Hurry... _Hana told her again. _Hurry back to Waterfall. It's happening too fast..._

_What are you talking about?_

_It's not following the 'Timeline'. It wasn't supposed to happen this early, so it should have been fine to let you go to Snow like you did. But when you left..._

_What are you talking about, Hana?_

_The Timeline, which dictates how all things are supposed to happen... some people call it 'destiny'._

_So... what's wrong with it?_

_The Timeline was **WRONG**! According to the timeline, Osanai isn't supposed to die!_

_W... what? _

_His illness wasn't supposed to attack him this early. Hinata, you **MUST **save him. If you don't, and he dies... _

Arashi 'stood' on the surface of the water behind the boat. His eyes were trained on Hinata and the translucent form of a blonde girl sitting next to her. After a he had watched for a few minutes, he closed his eyes. "If you don't, and he dies...

The world will never have existed."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Ohhhh, quite the paradox, eh? I hope you liked the chapter, and sorry for the late update. I've had some technical troubles, but not to worry! I have FINALLY ordered a new power cord for my laptop, so I can FINALLY continue writing this thing. I've had to update sparingly with chapters I had (luckily) written beforehand. When I had released chapter 38, I had pretty much had it written this far already, so here you see it.**

**This was the last chapter I had backed up on my desktop PC, and thankfully, it's the last backup I'll need. So once again, sorry for all the weirdo updates these past two months or so. Everything should get back on schedule from here on out, and I think I'll even be able to start updating weekly since I'll be graduating in a few weeks!**

**So, thank you for reading! Please leave a review and answer the survey question thingies so that I can have your opinions on specific parts of the story that I want to develop properly!**

Did you like the attitude of this chapter? I started writing again with the same style I had started the story out with because I realized that my writing style had skewed too much and was becoming almost inconsistent.

How do you like the Adventures of Zan, Ryu and Risu?

What do you think about Osanai's situation? Now, don't get all excited and think he's guranteed to live! If you've watched more than three shounen animes then you probably know that these things really CAN happen in a story.

To answer Shuuzen's question to herself: What do you think Mei will do?

What of the development of Sasaki?

What of the development of the various other characters?

What of the recent paradoxical twist that Hana has just revealed? (Holy cow, "paradoxical is a real word... I thought I just made it up for this question... interesting...)

**What do you think about my "Runaways Encyclopedia" idea? It won't be this massive collection of useless data, but sort of a Reader's Digest version of only the information that's important. Mostly names and big plot events.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	43. Time and Eternity: Part 1

**No, your eyes are not deceiving you. After far too long… another chapter… of "Runaways"! (Cue cheering sound effects)**

**Well, it's been too long, everyone, and I'm sorry I haven't updated in these past several months – despite my promise for frequent updates. Unfortunately, after I uploaded chapter 42, my laptop totally kicked the bucket. There was no bringing it back. And so I waited for months until the day when I get a new laptop for college…**

**AND THAT DAY HAS ARRIVED! Now, finally, I shall continue the story that has been neglected for eons. Without further ado… Runaways**: **Chapter 43!!!**

**Oh, maybe there is further ado… I forgot to tell you this is an OC Chapter. It has a bit of Naruto and an amount of Hinata, but mostly focuses on my OC groups and their misadventures.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"You mean… He's going to…" Mei murmured slowly and deliberately, barely able to pronounce the horrifying words. "No…"

Sasame, Mei and Osanai were the only ones in the room, standing on the expensive hardwood floor. Shuuzen and Ryoku waited in silence on the other side of the door – at that moment, there was nothing either of them could say. Sasame, being the bearer of bad news, opened her mouth to repeat the painful phrase. "He's going to die."

There wasn't the slightest hint of color on Mei's face, white as the china teacup that rested on the table a few feet away. She opened her mouth once to speak, but no words could be formed. A second time, her lips separated. Again there were no words. The third time her mouth opened, one word escaped "Why…?"

Sasame searched her mind for the answer, any answer. After a moment, she admitted defeat: there was no answer. "I… I don't know." She whimpered, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the room, too ashamed to look at them directly.

"How long do I have?" His words were low, nearly inaudible.

"I don't know…" Sasame found herself repeating things again.

The silence that followed was not the awkward type, nor was it really a sad silence, and it definitely wasn't happy or comfortable. It was only silence, there was no adjective to describe it. Nobody breathed for several eternal seconds. Sasame knew she had overstayed her welcome and left the room as quietly as she could. Shuuzen and Ryoku had left earlier, she noticed as she herself left them to be alone.

The room remained deathly tranquil for a time. Soon, the silence was shattered. Mei inhaled long and hard, and slowly started breathing normally again. Her lips tightened and her eyes narrowed as she stared at his face; it was exactly the same as it always had been. He wore a smile that was meant to reassure her, that tried to say 'it's all right'. His eyes were still the same ones he showed her five minutes earlier, when they cuddled peacefully on the comfy chair.

"Osanai…" Mei murmured quickly, almost mixing syllables together. As tightly as she could, she pulled herself into him and bawled loudly into his chest. "Osanai!"

"I'm here." He said, and gently peeled her from his body to look into her eyes. "I'm right here." He told her softly, still wearing his warm grin.

She cried loudly for another minute. Every few seconds, she looked away or closed her eyes – only to make eye contact with him again later. Eventually, she regained the ability to shape words, "Why are you smiling?" She asked. Her voice carried an air of confusion, dread and a little frustration. "Didn't you just hear her?"

"Why shouldn't I smile? Have I lost anything?" He asked vaguely, knowing she couldn't answer the question.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm still here," The young man responded, albeit a bittersweet answer, "I'm still alive."

**XXXXXXXXX**

"Sara…" Ryoku whispered softly. "Are you okay?" They were outdoors now, not really anywhere in particular, just outdoors, walking through the town's streets.

"I'm okay." Shuuzen responded. "Well, I'm sad…" She added as an afterthought.

"Are you and this kid close?" He asked cautiously, careful not to use the wrong words.

"Not especially. But he doesn't deserve to suffer any more than he already has." She told him simply. "Mei doesn't deserve this either."

"Mei?"

Shuuzen stopped to pick her words, and then continued walking. "She's his girlfriend… She means the world to him. And her feelings are probably even stronger than his."

"Now I see…" Ryoku sighed and shook his head helplessly. "It's bringing back those feelings, isn't it? From back then…" The silence that followed was the only answer he needed.

As the large man continued to walk, he felt something pull on the black robe he still wore. He turned his body and saw the small albino woman standing there with her face to the ground, and the loose cloth held delicately in her fingers. Neither of them spoke for almost a minute.

"How long has it been…" She whispered solemnly, "since I've head that name?" The question wasn't really directed to anybody.

"I don't know. Eleven years, maybe?" His voice was low and sad when he responded. "You left about that long ago."

Shuuzen's – or Sara's – eyes remained fixated on the ground. "Ryo…" She said, using his old nickname. "were you this tall back then?"

He shook his head. "We were still young back then; I've grown… and you also…"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Risuki walked around, looking for the address that Ryu told her about. The city was a little above average-size, and its population seemed slightly upscale. The streets were also arranged in a somewhat organized pattern, which made finding her destination a little easier. "I think this is it…" She whispered to herself as she approached a house. It was a normal home, neither large nor expensive. "I would've thought the previous Mizukage would have lived in a bigger house."

She knocked on the door and waited a few moments. Soon, it swung open and an elderly man peered out at her. Quickly, he opened the door and stood aside. "You're Ryu's friend? Come in." He was soft spoken, but his voice was raspy. From the rough sound it made when he spoke, she could tell that he hadn't always spoken quietly. "How is he lately?" The man asked politely as he led her into a humble den with simple furniture.

"He's okay." She told him quickly, wondering how this man knew who she was. "But we have a problem…"

"I know." He nodded wisely and opened a small cabinet door. On the shelves behind the door were several different scrolls, rolled and tied tightly in the same fashion that all ninja scrolls are. "This should be the one," He muttered to himself as he slid one particularly small scroll out from its resting place. "Come, girl."

"Okay…"

"This may hurt." He told her quickly. Before she had a chance to think about those words, he pushed the scroll into the lower center of her chest. Despite his appearance and frail voice, his physical strength was still significant.

"Ah!" Risuki grunted from the sudden assault. "What was that for?!" She growled and put a hand over the spot where he had pushed her, a little above her stomach. A quick investigation of her clothes revealed a round hole, about one inch wide, in the very center of the clothes covering her chest. "What's this? That hurt!" She complained in a very aggravated tone. "And I don't exactly appreciate having a hole in my shirt, either!"

"That is where the scroll entered your body." He explained easily. "Now that it's been fused with you, I can heal your chakra imbalance. But I'm afraid the rest of the treatment will be more painful."

She didn't like the sound of that, and once again her body began to feel odd. It was as if a new power was slowly expanding from her chest, becoming absorbed into her bones. After looking at her arm, she could see unfamiliar characters appear on her skin, becoming an almost solid black color. After the letters stopped appearing, she realized very quickly that she could no longer move her body. "H… How much more painful?" She asked uneasily.

The previous Mizukage reached back into the cabinet and pulled out another object; a short sheath with the hilt of a sword. When he pulled the hilt, a shiny wakizashi - almost two feet long - was revealed. "Much more."

**XXXXXXX**

"…"

Zan and Ryu were sitting at the same restaurant, waiting for Risuki's return when Ryu started staring at nothing for a moment. "Something wrong, Ryu?" Zan - Ryu and Risuki's new traveling partner – asked when the boy seemed to space out.

"Do you feel that?" He asked quietly. "Something's happening."

Zan's face contorted a little, displaying his confusion. "I don't feel anything, and my senses are pretty keen. Are you sure?"

"It feels familiar…" Ryu closed his eyes and mentally probed around in his nostalgia. "It's just like… no!" His eyes and mouth shot wide open in apparent panic. Quickly, he reached behind his back and gripped the cloth-covered handle of his sword. "It's… resonating."

Before Zan could ask what was wrong, Ryu was already hundreds of yards away. He shrugged and continued sipping his drink. "I'll wait here."

Ryu raced down the streets as fast as his feet could propel him. A few people turned to see what the rushing air sound was, but he was never spotted. _I have a very bad feeling. I should have never made her go alone!_ His thoughts reflected his perfect hindsight, but they were too late at this point – at least he would be there soon.

"RISUKIII!" He screamed as he burst into the house. Dust and debris crashed behind him to show that he had decimated the doorway with the sword he now held in his right hand. "Where are you?!"

There was no response, so he closed his eyes and held his non-transformed katana in front of him. _If I can just feel this out…_ He could feel energy pulsing rhythmically through the hilt, which meant that the sword's sibling was being used. "Damn it, where is she?"

"Ry…yu…" He heard the faintest whisper. It was her voice, and it was coming from nearby.

"Ri- Risuki!" He shouted again, half relieved and half terrified. "Where are you?" He couldn't hear her voice anymore. A few moments later, panic began to set in. He dashed through the closest doorway with every ounce of speed he could muster, when he found it empty he disappeared into another room. She wasn't in there either. He ran into a third room and looked around. A second later, he found himself staring at a terrifying sight. "RISUKI!"

A magic seal was drawn on the wall in an archaic language, but was mostly hidden by the blood that covered it. In the center of the seal, barely able to touch the ground with her feet, Risuki – awash in blood and perfectly motionless - was pinned to the wooden surface; a sword pierced through her stomach and into the wall was obviously the only thing holding her upright.

A piece of paper was tied to the hilt of the weapon. "You owe me," the note read, "this blade belongs to you, now. Use it well."

"F--- That!" He cursed loudly. Carefully, he wrapped his hands around the handle and pulled the blade out of Risuki's body. When it was out, she fell forward into his arms and he stabbed the sword back into the wall. "YOU HEAR ME?! I DON'T WANT YOUR F---ING SWORD!"

"That word…" Risuki moaned heavily, "Doesn't suit you."

"You're awake?" He said, surprised and internally rejoicing as he started to leave the house. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit." She mumbled through gritted teeth. "It hurts…"

Ryu approached the front opening where he had smashed the door in. A problem had just occurred to him. "I can't let anyone see you like this…"

"Just… run fast." She suggested painfully.

"We need to get you into a hospital… I'll be recognized and arrested if I take you." He explained quickly.

Risuki shook her head as she lay in his arms. "I don't need that. Just get me out of here."

Ryu decided not to waste time arguing. First he had to find Zan, whom he hoped was still at the restaurant where they were supposed to meet up with Risuki. He crouched down, thrust forward, then kicked off the ground to send him flying to the rooftops. Once he landed on the rafters of one building, he dashed off in the direction of the restaurant.

They arrived quickly and Ryu let Risuki down on top of the restaurant, making sure she would be out of sight so nobody would get suspicious. "I'll get Zan." He told her as he started toward the edge of the metal roof. Mindful of his now-bloody clothes, he decided to call out to their companion. "Hey, Zan!" He yelled. "Get out here!"

"That was pretty quick." Zan Stated rather surprised. He paid the shopkeeper and stepped outside "You were barely gone for five minu…" He stopped short when he saw the blood smeared on Ryu's face. He knew it was time to be silent.

"Follow me," Ryu whispered once Zan was within earshot, "I have Risuki. We have to get out of here."

Zan nodded and ducked into the alley at the side of the restaurant. Once he was hidden, his 'instant travel' technique brought him to the roof with Ryu, who was once again carrying Risuki, covered in dried blood, in his arms. "Everything alright, Ryu?" He asked professionally.

"Yeah, for now." He nodded. "You feeling better, Risuki?"

The girl managed a smile and answered; "Yeah, It doesn't hurt as much anymore."

"Hmm." They heard a voice from behind Zan. "She recovered faster than I expected."

Ryu knew that voice. In fact, he knew it all to well. "Master!" He snarled at the elderly man. "What did you _do_?!"

"You forgot this." Ryu's master stated as he pulled a sheath out from the folds of his robe. Risuki noticed that he wasn't speaking so softly, anymore. "Consider it a graduation gift."

"I don't want your sword!" The apprentice yelled back. "I don't need it!"

"Ryu!" The man's eyes narrowed and he pushed the sword a little closer to his student. "You understand that she is a Jinchuuriki, of course. Therefore, if you care about her – or even this Jinchuuriki boy named Zan – you will _take this sword!_"

"Why?!"

"You will understand some day." The man tossed it through the air, it landed with a metallic noise in Risuki's lap. "I trust you remember your dual-wield training."

The man disappeared in a modest cloud of smoke. "Damn!" Ryu cursed aloud.

"Ryu… How did he know my name?" Zan asked curiously.

"He's always been able to do that." Ryu answered, then turned to the girl in his arms. "Risuki, what do you want to do?"

"Shower." She informed him simply. "I feel disgusting."

"Then let's go to our hotel room. We can get in through the window." Ryu nodded. He had noticed earlier that Risuki wasn't bleeding from her wound, and he knew she didn't want to go to the hospital anyway – she hated hospitals. "Zan, you can do what you want. Just get back to the hotel before it gets dark.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Hinata… _flew _away?" Naruto's mouth was ajar in disbelief. "How is that possible?"

"She grew wings and flew away!" Sasaki insisted. "I saw it myself; she changed into her other bloodline form, a pair of wings just… appeared, and she _flew away!_" The story was almost unbelievable.

"That doesn't make any sense, Sasaki…" Kentou, her brother, sighed and rubbed his temples. "Even if she could grow wings like that, her chakra only lasted a few minutes in that fight with Itachi. She wouldn't just fly away if she couldn't make it all the way, nobody would"

"She's not on the ship, Naruto." Tenkou, Naruto's new blue-haired companion, informed him after returning from the search. "And noone has seen anybody fall overboard, but there are a few people that claim they saw a girl… fly away."

"I told you!" Sasaki gloated, mostly at her brother for doubting her. "So… what are we gonna do about it?"

"The ship will reach port tomorrow afternoon," Tenkou reported, "assuming the weather doesn't pick up again."

"I guess we'll have to trust her." Naruto sighed. It was becoming a stressful day. "I'm going to go get some food." He informed them before leaving for the galley. When Kentou heard faint noises coming from his gut, he realized he hadn't eaten since the previous day, so he followed after Naruto.

"She seriously flew away?" Tenkou blinked in surprise. "So those people weren't just toying with me…"

"Yeah. Weird, huh?" She nodded. "How many people said they saw her fly away?"

"About twenty…"

"Ehhh?" Sasaki turned to look at him like he was an idiot. "And you figured that so many people were just teasing you?"

"Either that, or they were all crazy. But that seemed kind of unlikely." He shrugged. The boy was being totally honest.

"Isn't that kind of… never mind." She groaned, covering her face with her hand. "I'm hungry."

"Okay, later." He shrugged and let her go eat. "It's a perfectly reasonable assumption, isn't it?" He asked himself obliviously. "What's their problem?"

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

"That kid's so dense." Sasaki mumbled. She was walking down the corridors toward the galley when her brother caught her talking to herself.

"You seem kind of interested in him." He chuckled knowingly behind her back.

"Huh?" She turned around and saw his devious grin. "What's with that look?" She asked curiously.

His face straightened quickly to its more normal appearance. "So what's going on with that Ten kid?" He asked, more normally this time, as he started walking down the hall with her.

"His logic doesn't make much sense." She groaned and shook her head again. "But otherwise… meh."

Kentou realized at this point that his sister would never catch the hint. So he decided to dumb it down and phrase the question as simply as he could. "Do you like him?"

"Like who?" She looked a little surprised. "Tenkou? He's kinda cool, I guess." She responded with a shrug. "A nice guy."

Kentou couldn't believe what he was hearing. _I must have gotten the brains in this family…_ He sighed and rephrased the question for the third time. "Are you romantically interested in him?" He asked flatly, rolling his eyes.

"Not really… why?"

"Never mind…"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_We're almost there, Hinata!___Hana's voice sang in Hinata's mind. _Just keep going!_ She 'shouted' her encouragements. By now, they were flying over coastal waters and quickly approaching the shoreline. Once they reached that point, it would be a short amount of time until they reached the village where Osanai unknowingly waited for them, and where the fate of the world would soon be decided.

"Hana…" Hinata mumbled quietly. Even if it was barely murmured, Hana would hear it – she was inside Hinata's body at the time. "Who are you?"

_Me?_ It was an unexpected question, to say the least. _What do you want to know? There isn't a whole lot to tell._

"Well… I get the strangest feeling…" Hinata started to explain herself, but stopped when she couldn't think of the right words. "I don't know, really. But it's a familiar feeling."

_Do I remind you of Naruto? _The disembodied voice asked casually.

"Well…" The girl's eyes widened a little at the sudden realization. "Not exactly… but it feels like you have a connection with him."

_Actually..._ Hinata could almost feel Hana's imaginary eyes shifting nervously. _I probably know him better than you do. In fact, I know everything about him._

Hinata was baffled. It wasn't like she knew all of Naruto's secrets and intricacies, but she knew a lot – and she couldn't understand how a ghost could know more, let alone everything about her love. "How?"

_It's hard to explain… _They were approaching the town on the mountainside when Hana changed the subject. _Osanai and the others are all down there! They're in that big house!_

"Okay, let's go."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**EARLIER:**

It was mid-afternoon in the Abunai manor, where Mei was tentatively asleep next to Osanai. While she slept, Osanai sat awake, remembering the events of the past few weeks. The big chair had become their 'spot', since he was pretty restricted in what he could do and where he could go.

He had to admit it; even he found the news difficult to swallow. "This is it, huh?" He sighed and stared at the intricate pattern painted onto the ceiling. "I wonder if I can go home for a while. I haven't seen the village in a long time." The boy continued to think aloud as his mind drifted from subject to subject. "I hope everybody is doing ok without me…"

"You should probably stay." He heard Sasame's voice behind him as she walked into the room. "I understand why you want to go back, but Mei wants you to stay here with her."

"I guess so…" He sighed. "Did you find out how long I have?"

"…" Sasame remained silent for many seconds. She had indeed asked Shuuzen how long he had left. They had thought a few hours ago that there were still days left, but the latest prognosis… "…Twenty-four hours… if we're lucky."

"I see…" His attitude declined a little more. "Just when everything starts going my way, this has to- ack!" A loud, rough cough interrupted his words. He choked up enough blood to leave small blackish puddles on the hardwood floor. He smiled at the irony as he looked at the dark spots. The puddles seemed to ripple in tune with Sasame's footsteps as she rushed closer to make sure he was okay.

"What happened?" She asked as she pulled around in front of the chair. As soon as she had a direct look at the boy, she knew he had less time than they thought; his face was so colorless that his skin almost seemed translucent. The dark line of blood that ran from his lips starkly contrasted the white surface of his cheeks.

"What's going on?" Mei was starting to wake up due to the commotion. As the sleepy fog cleared from her vision, she became more aware of the situation; dark spots covered Osanai's clothes, and a few dotted her own. The unnaturally black blood was slowly trickling from both corners of his mouth. "Osa…" She whispered softly. The happiness that usually shone from his face was faded, now only a dim glow was present, and his normally energetic eyes seemed sad and lifeless.

"Yo, Mei…" He whispered. "Can I kiss you?"

Before she could answer, the window exploded into the room. Through the new opening, a feminine figure bathed in silvery light floated into the room. White wings, each one long enough to reach a foot further than the girl's arms, folded as silent feet touched down onto the wood floor. She moved forward and put a palm on Osanai's forehead.

Mei, startled into a stupid, quickly shouted. "What'reyoudoing?!"

"Huh?" The mysterious, dark-haired girl turned a little bit to look at Mei. "Don't worry."

An instant later, Osanai and the strange girl were nowhere to be seen. A flurry of white feathers floated in a fight against gravity. When Mei was able to form sentences smoothly again, she asked – as calmly as possible - "What ust happened?"

"I don't know…" Sasame stared at the opening in the wall, where a window had been moments before. "But that was Hinata."

Mei was more confused now than before she had asked the question. "Who is Hinata?"

"Didn't I tell you?" Sasame had a saddened look on her face. "She's… my competition."

"You mean… that's Naruto's girlfriend?" Mei turned to look out the window as well. Despite her friendship with Sasame, and her wish to help the kunoichi in nabbing Naruto, she was still focused on what was most important to her. "She'll try to heal him?"

"I… I think so…" Sasame whispered. "But I wonder where she took him."

Outside, on the roof of the building, Arashi chuckled merrily to himself. "It looks like the end is getting nearer… I can't wait!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Woot! Time for my omake! Here you'll get to meet one of my two new betas! Everyone, please give a round of applause for Cheez!**

Cheez: Damn! I hope he gets some type of reimbursement, cause he just got a kiss stolen from him, possibly his last... Well, that's if Mei wanted to kiss some guy coughing up blood. Personally, now that I would be with Hinata, I'd ask her... Ah, and for any of you wondering, this is a new beta, Cheese. On some of the new chapters, I'll give my two-cents at the end, hopefully to help lighten up the darker, moodier chapters. Or, just to make you nice people reading this laugh. Whatever DarthMonkey was thinking. Now that I re-read this last paragraph, why is Arashi sitting on the roof? Is he some ero like his sensei, and his sensei's sensei, and his own student? It doesn't seem like the trait would skip a generation, only to pop back up... Or is this just me, hoping there's another comic relief guy, like myself to brighten up the story?

Me: He's sitting on the roof because he's observing as the plot unfolds. Don't get any funny ideas, Cheezy.

**Wow… I think I'll have him give a proper introduction in the next chapter omake.**

**Well, this has been chapter 43 of Runaways! And as always, it's time for my traditional Q AND A! (And my obligatory beg for reviews)**

Are you disappointed that there was very little of Naruto and Hinata? (sorry again about that)

Is this chapter up to par with previous chapters? It's been a while since I've been able to write, so I just wanna make sure I've still got the touch.

Do you remember WHY it's so important that Osanai lives? (Go back to 42 if you forgot)

And after two more chapters, there will be another break of fluff and comedy! And maybe a few pleasant surprises! Are you excited?

**PLEASE REVIEW:D**


	44. Time and Eternity: Part 2

**Okay, today's first order of business is Arashi's name. We have finally discovered his official name! It has been revealed in chapter 367 of the **_**Naruto**_** manga. I won't spoil it, in case there are any of you who haven't read it. But let me just say this: ****IT IS NOT "ARASHI"!**

**I said a million times in this story, on AIM and in review replies that I never believed his name was Arashi, and I was right. Unfortunately, for this story's purpose, he shall remain "Arashi" simply because it would be confusing if I were to do it any differently.**

**Anyway, you may wish to re-read chapter 42, to refresh your memory as to why Osanai should not die.**

**Now, on to chapter 44 of Runaways!**

**Chapter 44: Time and Eternity – Part 2 ****XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"A-Arashi?" Mei yelped in surprise as the ghost took visible form in front of her and Sasame. "What are you doing here?"

Arashi had a smile on his face, and his eyes told stories of anticipation. "It's all about to start!" He exclaimed with joyous delight.

"What's about to start?" Sasame asked slowly. She and Mei were both entirely unsure of what was going on; Hinata had just _flown _through the window and subsequently had disappeared with Osanai, and Arashi wasn't giving them any answers. "Tell us what's going on." She requested a bit more demandingly than her character normally allowed.

"You want to see it?" He asked.

"See what?" This time it was Mei who asked the question.

"The end, of course!"

"The end of what…" Mei and Sasame asked together. His enthusiasm was beginning to annoy them.

"The end of time!" Arashi's response was as happy as the rest had been, but his enthusiasm was beginning to diminish. "We have great seats!"

Sasame was visibly confused, and Mei was outright dumbfounded. What could he possibly mean by 'the end of time'?

"Oh…" He comically slapped his forehead – without making any sound, as Mei suspiciously noted. "You two don't know what's going on, do you?"

The two girls shook their heads; they were totally clueless.

"Well, it pretty much goes like this: When O-san dies, the world will end. Something or somebody has tampered with his body in some magical way that will cause the world to end if the illness kills him." He explained with as little detail possible. If he went into a more specific explanation, the two girls would start asking too many questions.

"So… Osa is going to die?" Mei asked weakly.

"Hmm…" Arashi scratched his chin in thought. "Hinata's pretty good at healing. And Hana is with her too."

"Hana?" Sasame's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember where she first heard that name. "Who is that?"

"Well… That's a pretty confusing question." He chuckled lightly. "I guess she's a ghost like me." He laughed again, then saw the look on the redhead's face. "Oh… I forgot that we hadn't told Mei about me yet."

"Ghost?" Mei didn't have the expected surprised or terrified expression, the kind you might usually have when meeting a being from the other side. Rather, she had a slightly confused and yet slightly enlightened air about her. "That explains a few things…"

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"Hinata…" Osanai smiled weakly. "You interrupted us at the wrong moment."

"Sorry." Hinata giggled innocently as she laid him down underneath the overwhelmingly huge branches of the Great Tree. "I didn't want to waste any time. So who is she, that girl you were sitting with?"

"Ah, that's Mei. Abunai Mei."

"Abunai?" Hinata asked curiously as she started working chakra into her hands. "In order to isolate the illness, I have to accelerate its progress." She informed him a bit more solemnly, then returned to her curious manner. "So who is this Abunai Mei? I've heard that name before."

"Her father is supporting Waterfall with weapons and money. She moved to Waterfall for the safety, and we kind of got to know each other…"

"I see…" Hinata smiled as she continued her preparation. "I'm almost ready to start. This procedure will take a long time, we might even be here until morning."

"Will it hurt?" He asked. The question stemmed from his curiosity rather than his fear of pain. Her blue eyes moved to the right when he asked, definitely avoiding contact with his. There was no mistake to her unspoken answer; there will be pain. "I see…" He muttered. "Go ahead then."

Per his request, she began the process of accelerating the degradation of his body's organs and cells, right down to the proteins that composed the very genetic structure of his life.

_Be careful, Hinata… _She heard the soft guiding voice in her head again. _You won't get a second chance._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

In a dimly-lit hotel room, a young man stepped onto the floor from the open window, on his back was a girl bathed in blood. "Risuki, can you stand?" He asked as calmly as he could, considering the situation.

"I don't think so…" She sighed weakly. "I'm so tired. It's like all the energy has been sucked from my bones. I feel so…" She trailed off suddenly.

"Something wrong?"

"Um…" Her eyes flicked from the back of Ryu's head to the floor, then back again. "I need a bath…"

Despite his intelligence, the boy failed to wrap his head around this dilemma. "I guess so. I need to wash off too, but I can wait until you're don… oh." He stopped as he recognized the situation. A chill of fear ran down his spine as he realized what this might mean. "Do you need some help…?"

"No!" She yelped. In truth, she would have accepted a hand, but her pride wouldn't have it – it simply wasn't acceptable to be so helpless. "I think I'll be fine on my own. I can walk now, so can you let me down?"

"Okay." He grunted and gently let her slide off his back.

Risuki's feet landed with an unusual loudness on the carpeted floor. Looking down, she realized that her blood was soaking into its light fibers, and then she noticed that Ryu's clothes were similarly painted red. "How much did I bleed?"

"Enough that I'm worried about you." Ryu responded with notable concern in his voice. "When you're done in there, I want to check your body for—" He stopped short when he saw that familiar, however faint, sarcastic grin on her face. "Don't get any funny ideas, I just want to make sure you're okay."

She flashed her tongue in response and turned awkwardly toward the room's attached bathroom, leaving Ryu alone with his new weapon.

_What is this thing supposed to do for me? _The phrase repeated itself continually over the next few moments as he glared at the hilt. It perfectly matched his own sword's handle, the same metallic finish on the bottom, the same blue woven grip wrapped around the wooden hilt and the same square hilt guard. The new sheath was also identical to the one which belonged to his own blade, only shorter. To the normal eye, they would only seem like a pair of swords from the same sword smith. They didn't even seem to be of high quality, but rather looked generic – as if prepared for a nameless soldier, instead of custom-made for an experienced swordsman.

After several minutes of staring at the rotten piece of equipment, he threw it haphazardly onto the bed. "I can't even swing that useless object."

"What's the story behind it, Ryu?"

Upon hearing his own name, Ryu turned toward the door. Zan was standing in the opening, putting a key into his pocket. "Hey, Zan. I guess you couldn't find anything interesting to do here?"

"Actually, I went to find one of Atsui-sama's contacts in the… wrong part of town. Nothing of note is going on, but I heard a little about an old friend of mine."

"An old friend?" Ryu asked curiously, having assumed this whole time that Zan had never known a friend.

"A girl I knew a few years ago, she's the daughter of a 'righteous' gang boss – he's actually a decent guy. But right now, I'm interested in that sword over there." He indicated the dark object laying on the bed.

Ryu sighed heavily, very heavily; he didn't want to talk about it. "There's no story. I'm just not able to use it." He sighed again, anticipating the inevitable 'why' from Zan, so he answered it without being asked. "Because it rejects my chakra."

"It… rejects you?" Zan was getting even more curious. "Why?"

"It was made by my master, so he is able to use it just fine somehow. But whenever I unsheathe it, my arm goes numb. He never told me why, and I don't really care why. It's useless to me anyway. So what's this about a girl you knew?" He desperately attempted to change the direction of this conversation.

Zan picked up the hint easily enough, obvious as it was and all. "Last time I saw her was three years ago… I was fourteen and she was twelve or something like that. Atsui-sama used to take me to Whirlpool country for business with the Abunai family, her dad was the head of that family."

"What's so special about her?" Ryu was grateful for this pleasant change of topic, and intended to milk it as long as he could.

"Nothing really, but she had a crush on me. At least, that's what her dad said." He shrugged. "The guy I found here in your hometown just happened to be with us on my last trip to Whirlpool, so he figured I might like to know what she's up to now."

"Well, it must be interesting, considering how you mentioned it earlier." Ryu was actually interested in this subject now, instead of just glad it was a happy one. "So what's the story?"

"Not much; apparently she has a boyfriend now – but the poor sap is going to die in a few days from an unknown illness. Abunai-sama probably doesn't know about his condition right now, since he's been out of town for a few weeks."

"Abunai…" Ryu scratched his chin for a moment, the name seemed somewhat important – as if he had heard it recently in another venue. Suddenly, he remembered what was so special about it. "Was her name Abunai Mei?"

"Uhh… I think so, yeah."

Ryu nodded, his suspicions were confirmed. "Risuki and I passed through her family's territory and we heard that a girl by that name was attacked by an opposing gang, but two people saved her."

Zan let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad she's okay, but what do you mean by all that?"

"Nothing, really. It's just something that came to mind." He shrugged nonchalantly. Sounds of sloshing water came from the bathroom, and he figured it was about time to get Zan out of the room. "I think Risuki's almost done, and I probably have to treat her wounds."

"Okay." Zan responded. "Want some help? I'm pretty good at that stuff."

"The wounds in her chest…" Ryu made his hint even stronger.

"Oh…" Zan felt more than a little embarrassed to have not picked up on that sooner. "I'll leave, then."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

There was a small, hilly field on the outskirts of the town where the others were staying in the Abunai home. Standing on the edge of the field were three figures; two women with one man towering over both of them.

"Looks like you two have mellowed a little." Ryoku said with a chuckle. It was true; recent events had given everyone a solemn air. It was an eerie feeling to him, who was used to his sister's mischief – often aided by her lifetime best friend. "I wonder if we'll ever go back to the good old days."

"The good old days are long gone." Genka muttered quietly. "They ended when I signed on to join Naruto and his gang."

"Do you think so? I like to disagree, to think that we'll be able to have happy lives again one day" He turned his vision upward to the cloudy sky. "It looks like a storm is coming."

Shuuzen's light dress shuffled as she turned toward the lighter sky behind them, where the clouds had yet to reach. "I'd say this whole experience has been a storm." It was a simple statement, yet it evoked within her a subtly familiar emotion. Thunderstorms were common in their hometown, with heavy downpours and rumbling thunder being an almost nightly occurrence. Back then, she used to hide under shelter while other children played in the rain.

"But eventually, the dark clouds always blow away to let the sun shine again." Ryoku smiled at the idea. "Maybe these dark times will blow away soon."

The three of them stood silently for a few more minutes, watching the looming clouds come over the mountains to the west. In their minds, they all thought, _It's going to rain, _and they soon departed for shelter.

None of them really noticed, but Genka seemed to walk faster than the other two. Soon, the other two were alone. "Does it feel strange having me around again?" Ryoku asked quietly. There was no real reason to ask; he knew it was strange, especially to her.

"Yeah, it does." She answered honestly, knowing there was no point in lying. He knew her well enough to know if she did. "But it's not a bad feeling."

Now he was a little surprised. "It isn't?"

"Not at all." She replied with a faint smile. "It's nostalgic, familiar. Even though you grew so much, it still feels like the same old you... so what have you been doing all these years? Have you been well?" She asked with total sincerity.

Ryoku released a low, barely audible groan. "Sometimes I was okay, sometimes I wasn't. I took up drinking for a while, actually – even though you always told me it was bad."

Shuuzen closed her eyes for a moment. Shaking her head gently, she asked. "Trying to escape from pain?"

He shook his head, on his face was a wise expression while he spoke; "Quite the opposite, actually."

"What do you mean?"

"The alcohol made me remember it. The painful memories were my addiction." Ryoku explained. "Things I lost long ago, the sorrow reminded me of them. It was my last connection to the most important things in life."

"I'm not sure I understand…" Shuuzen admitted. "But as long as you stopped, I'll just let it go."

The wind whistled in the tree branches, which would soon be filled with fresh, green leaves. "Sara…" Ryoku whispered – a loud, gruff whisper – while looking up at the darkening sky. "Do you still hide from the rain?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Calm seas surrounded them. There was nothing else, not a cloud in the sky, not even a light breeze. This would be relaxing if the attitude on the boat wasn't so dull; nothing exciting was happening. A few people, some in couples and some alone, had come outside to appreciate the pristine beauty of the ocean and sky. Naruto, on the other hand, didn't find the surrounding especially interesting.

While he leaned on the guardrail to look down at the ship's hull, a strange, ominous feeling washed over him.

**Something wrong? **It was the last voice he wanted to hear at that point. The already-stressful day was just becoming worse by the minute.

_Do you feel it, too? _Naruto asked mentally, unable to believe that he actually responded.

**No. What is it? **The monster asked, almost as if curiously asking a friend something.

_I just have a strange feeling… Like something is going to happen…_

**So now you're some sort of prophet? That's a laugh.**

_Just leave me alone._ Naruto commanded. He was already tired of this conversation.

Miraculously, that was the end of the voice in his head. There was no response at all, but the gloomy feeling remained well-seated inside him.

While he stared over the edge of the deck, Tenkou walked up behind him. "You ok?"

Naruto shrugged. "Something doesn't feel right… I can't help but think something bad is going to happen soon."

"Really?" Ten raised an eyebrow in apparent interest, but they both knew he didn't really want to talk about that. "You know, I'm pretty jealous of you. You have a nice girl to spend time with, but when I'm bored, I just work or look at the ocean. I kind of wish I could meet a girl too..."

"Hmm?" The blonde looked a little surprised. "You seem kind of close to Sasaki."

"She's cute, but not my type. To be honest, I almost feel like I'm talking to a guy when I'm with her." He admitted openly. "But she's still a girl, I guess. We have a bet on whether or not she can find a boyfriend before she turns sixteen."

"When's that?"

"Next Thursday, I think." Tenkou laughed happily. "I am _so_ going to win that bet."

"Whatever." Naruto rolled his eyes, which in itself is an event of extreme rarity. "I'll just watch as it blows up in your face."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

An hour or two into the procedure, Hinata began to worry. There wasn't anything going wrong, in fact it was all going smoothly.

The ease of the operation wasn't what was nagging her. Instead, a few pieces of this puzzle were starting to fit together inside her head, now that she had time to hold still and think. "Hana…" She murmured to her invisible companion. "What could cause this kind of thing to happen?"

_What do you mean?_

"This 'Timeline', you said that it constantly adapts its predictions to current events, right?"

_Yes. While the Timeline is absolute, it is not unchanging. If it never changed, then there would be no such thing as free choice, would there? So it can adapt itself to what is happening in this world, in a way._

"Then how is it possible for Osanai to get sick without it adapting?" Hinata asked. "Something isn't adding up."

_I don't know… is this really the time to wonder about that?_

"Hana… is there anyone besides you world who can move between this world and yours?"

_A few._ She answered. _It's more of an ability to transcend time – to move from a world where time exists to a world where it doesn't._

"Then if they can surpass time…" Hinata's eyes widened a little bit. "They can surpass the Timeline… If something happens where time doesn't exist…"

_Then it never happened…_ Hana's mental voice 'sounded' as if she had just gained a major insight. _And if it never happened, then the Timeline never recorded it. But that's impossible, the connection between this world and mine isn't strong enough to cause this to happen._

"But there must be other worlds like yours, right?" Hinata was beginning to understand things even better.

_Maybe… but do you really think…_

"Hana… who else could do this?" Hinata asked urgently. "Something isn't right!"

_Okay…. _ Hana sounded defeated. _Other than you, there are three others of the Seventh Generation of Tenshi no Moui…_

"Tenshi no…" Her eyes shot wide open this time. "That's the source of the power? That's how you can escape time?"

_Yes… _Hana admitted quietly. _I am also one of the Seventh Generation, but I lost my body years ago._

"So… how did this happen?"

Hana felt absolutely terrified now. _If you're right… then one of the others has activated it… Akutenshi._

"Akutenshi?"

_You activated the Tenshi form. The purity in your heart and your honest intentions to protect your friends triggered the white angel form you have now. But evil intentions bring about the black form; Akutenshi._

"Well who is it?!"

_If we're right… then Osanai will die. If there is another human hand in this, then there's nothing we can do to stop it, in the end…_

"I asked WHO IS IT?!" Hinata screamed. After she calmed down another moment, she spoke again. "Please tell me who it is."

_One of the others with your power… _Hana didn't want to believe that Hinata was right, because if she was, then the world would end despite their efforts. _The one who I feared would open Akutenshi… is-_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Not far away, on the rocky peak of a high mountain, two men stood in the downpour. One was perfectly still , but his long dark hair rustled violently in the storm's gale, while the second man stood a few feet behind. "Heh." The dark-haired one chuckled lightly as a malicious smirk spread across his damp cheeks. "Tell me, Kabuto… what is time"

"I don't understand…" The silver-haired man looked perplexed. "What do you mean, Uchiha-sama?"

"Nothing, really." Sasuke's wicked grin grew even wider. "It won't matter in a few seconds, anyway." Kabuto wondered what his master could mean by that, and Sasuke apparently read his mind and began to explain a few things. "Have you ever wondered how I killed Orochimaru?"

"Not really."

"Such a good servant, you are." The dark smile opened to let out a laugh. "But I'll tell you anyway. It is because I gained a new power, one far greater than Orochimaru's!"

"What is that power?" Kabuto was curious now – any power greater than Orochimaru's was something he wanted to know about.

"The power to erase the existence of anything." Sasuke responded quietly. "The power to erase _time._"

"What do you mean?" Kabuto asked. In answer to his question, Sasuke pointed forward. He followed Sasuke's finger with his eyes to a point in the distance, the top of a mountain a few miles away.

"Watch, Kabuto." Sasuke's voice was dripping with insanity. "Watch as the fabric of time and space is torn to shreds!"

Behind his glasses, Kabuto's eyes were fixated unblinkingly on the mountain's peak. A few seconds later, his mouth dropped open in what could only be called pure bewilderment. "What amazing power… Uchiha-sama…"

In front of his eyes, there was a space which was filled with nothingness. Where there was once a mountain, there was a growing void. There was no light, nor was there any darkness. Looking into it, Kabuto saw fear and trust become one, and then become nothing. Life and death met and dissolved inside the void, and everything ceased to exist as if it had been erased forever. After a second, the rain stopped falling, and he knew that he, too, was inside the void. He looked to his side, where Sasuke had stood a moment before.

There was nothing, everything was gone. There was no light around him, nor was there any darkness. There was simply nothing. Even as he beheld the wonders of nonexistence, his own body slowly became part of the void – disappearing forever. Soon, the entire world would be consumed by the unstoppable beast. "Truly… what amazing power."

**THE END**

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**Just kidding...**

**ACK! Stop throwing things at me! It was just a joke! OWWWWW!!!! ****WHO THREW THAT HAMMER?!**

**Hehe, ok, horseplay aside, thanks for reading this chapter of runaways. It's time for the Monkey Omake, and Cheez's proper introduction. (Cheez, actually introduce yourself this time.)**

**Skip over the introductions… they're totally pointless….**

Cheez: Well, looks like I am supposed to introduce myself. No.

Anyway! How did... Fine. I'll do it. I'm 15 years old... Live in Houston, Texas. Don't think that I'm trying to give myself away, it's Houston for Christ's sake. There are like 4 million people here. Let's see... I like to read Manga, play on the computer, read, and correct peoples spelling, just to say that I'm smarter. So thar we go. Now... To brighten up this sad ending... What's the difference between a pile of dead babies and a ferrari... Oh wait, scratch that joke. WELL. I herd u gaiz leik mudkipz :3

**And Caza's introduction too:**

Caza: HI evey1im a new beta ive been reading this since it came out and I love it lol kk well that's about it other than if u have any questions address them to me cazacomi also the errors in the other chaps before the last one are not my fault I just started cuz he just started updating again lol well if I have a chance to ill fix the old chaps for him soon / I just found out an anime I like called Elfen Lied has 77 of 107 chaps out and I don't think there going to make 78-107  if they don't im going to go into depression and read hundreds of other mangas to make myself feel a little better if anyone knows if the other chapters are somewhere I can get them from it would be most appreciated and I will consider you a god among anime fans lol thx for the help if u can give it tho and that's all there is to say about me except I love anime and manga.  "Elfen Lied" how I miss the

**Okay! Time for the Q and A ritual – er, I mean tradition. Yes… tradition… Hehehe…**

Did the "The End" thing scare ya?

Did YOU Throw the hammer?

_(Moving on to real questions now)_

How do you think this new twist will be overcome?

Who do you think will win Tenkou's bet with Sasaki? (I already know who will win)

Should I draw my characters? 

And should I make my Runaways encyclopedia? (Still not sure if I will or not)

**REVIEW NOW PLXORZ!**


	45. Nothing

**Hey-lo, again! It's time once more for Runaways! This chapter will almost totally surround Hinata for the first part, and something tells me most of you will enjoy this fact. .**

**Oh, and I just want to say this. Despite the vivid similarities between the current plot arc and the current events in Heroic Age (An anime I'm watching, and you should too), I have planned this waaaaay ahead. It's just a big coincidence that similar things are happening. Lol… WATCH HEROIC AGE!**

**One more bit of news. I recently started playing World of Warcraft, and started a guild with one of my beta readers. The guild is called "Shugokage"! And if anyone plays alliance on Smolderthorn (The server that I play on) feel free to add "Darthmonkey" to your friends and send me a whisper! Everyone and anyone is welcome in the virtual Shugokage. Haha… I'm such a nerd.**

**And hey, even if you play WoW but not on Smolderthorn, feel free to make a character there and join the guild!**

**Happy reading!**

**Chapter 45: Nothing ****XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"What went wrong?" Hinata asked the emptiness around her. "He died anyway… Did I mess up?" She wondered as she floated in the void. She remembered it well:

**Earlier:**

_The one who I feared would open Akutenshi is a man named Uchiha Sasuke._

"Sasuke?" Hinata murmured aloud. "Why would he want to do this?"

_I don't know, I don't know anything at all about him or his circumstances._ Hana replied impatiently. _How do YOU know him?_

"Naruto and I grew up with him…" Hinata explained. "But some things happened…"

_Okay, whatever. It doesn't matter now. _The bodiless voice was growing more and more irritated for some reason. _Just focus on healing Osanai, that's the most important thing in the world right now._

Hinata nodded and continued her work, she understood very well that if she messed up here, the world was doomed for eternity – past and future. But deep in her heart, there was a tiny, sinking feeling. A tiny part of her knew that something was about to go horribly, desperately wrong.

Before she knew it, the boy was dead. She didn't know what happened, and she didn't get a chance to find out; for one infinitesimal moment, she stared into the empty, soulless eyes as a terrible panic surfaced inside her. Then it was over; she was consumed by the nothingness.

And that led to her current situation. "Why do I remember what happened?" She wondered aloud. "If time was obliterated, and the earth was erased, then I shouldn't I also be erased?" It was a perplexing question, and one that she would not be able to answer for herself in an eternity. "I wonder if Naruto was thinking of me when he died…" She sighed and closed her eyes, hoping that she would not have to spend the rest of everlasting alone, talking to herself as she floated around in the middle of nowhere.

"So this is the other new girl?" A strange and unfamiliar voice rang in her ears. She had been floating in absolute silence, unable to even hear her own voice for what felt like forever. The voice, however harsh it was, was the sound of refreshment to her – even so, Hinata feared to open her eyes. She didn't want to see if there was truly anyone there, she was happy enough just hearing the voices.

"Hinata..." This voice sounded very familiar. It was the same voice that spoke to her in her head.

"Hana?" She finally – slowly - opened her eyes to see a small group of people, some young and some old, standing in a pure white room.

"These are others like us, other people who have used Tenshi no Moui in the past." Hana answered Hinata's unspoken question. "They all escaped death by using their power to escape time itself, and they came here."

This was the first time Hinata had seen her mysterious partner. In her imagination, Hana had always seemed like a mature woman, but the girl who bore Hana's voice couldn't have been any older than seventeen. She was taller than Hinata, had long blond hair with bangs cut above her glowing blue eyes and a fair figure.

"Is this your world?" Hinata asked curiously, looking around the white room. It felt good to see white.

"No, I've never been here before, actually." Hana admitted. "I didn't know such a place existed…"

"So." The harsh male voice from before spoke up. It belonged to a boy with bright red hair, sharp features and a pair of shimmering orange eyes. Hinata noticed now that there were many hair colors, several skin colors and other physical traits, but there were only two eye colors in the room: blue and orange. "What brings you two ladies to our home?"

"I don't know…" Hinata answered hesitantly. "Your eyes…"

"Oh?" He looked a little surprised. "Yeah, I'm an Akutenshi user, but I'm not a bad guy or anything – so don't worry," was the unconfident reply.

"Uh…" Hinata was confounded. "But…"

"It doesn't mean I'm evil or anything…" He explained hesitantly, with a hint of grief in his voice. "When my brother was killed… I just lost it…"

"Oh…" Hinata's heart went out to this young man. "I'm sorry."

"s'okay!" He cheerfully responded. "That was hundreds of years ago, so I've had some time to accept it…. So anyway, I haven't been to earth in a long time, what's it like now?"

"Earth?" she mumbled. "You people are able to go there?"

"A few of us can. Some still live there, as a matter of fact." He answered. This was quite surprising, but Hinata decided to accept it.

An older man approached them. His eyes were orange like the boy's, his frame was bent with age and his hair white and scraggly. "Hello, Taku." He greeted the boy respectfully, then turned to Hinata and Hana. "I'm one of the few that still reside on Earth, but I was cleaning up my house when I was thrust into this dimension. I assume it was the same for you; is it true you don't remember why you're here?"

"Um…" Hana scratched her head nervously. "Actually… I think the earth is gone."

"G-gone?" The Akutenshi boy was shocked beyond belief. "That's… impossible…"

"Indeed!" A blue-eyed man shouted in agreement. "The earth can't be gone, such a large existence is unfeasible to simply erase. What gave you the notion that it has simply vanished, girl?"

"It just has." She answered "The timeline couldn't predict the future correctly, and when it disagreed with what was happening, all existence in that dimension ended when time became infinite." She tried to explain to the best of her limited knowledge.

"What's the 'Timeline'?" The blue-eyed man asked, honestly confused. "I've never heard of something capable of erasing existence."

Hana was shocked. "You haven't heard of it? I assumed that everyone with our power to transcend time knew what it was."

"Transcend time?" Another blue-eye who was listening to their conversation spoke up. "Such a power can't exist."

Hana was speechless. The things which were basic to her, and which Hinata could moderately understand with some effort, were totally foreign to these people. "Do you mean that… none of you know about the powers you have?"

"I know about them…" A blue-eyed woman who seemed to be in her late thirties answered solemnly. She carried herself well, with a dignified air, as she stepped toward Hinata. "The flow of time on earth depends on the Timeline, which governs the pace in which time flows. But somebody altered time on earth in a way as to offset the balance of the Timeline. When this happened, time itself was eliminated, and all existence on Earth was destroyed."

"Who could do such a thing?" The blue-eyed man asked. "That's impossible."

"Haven't you been listening to this girl?" The woman asked. "She just told you that Tenshi no Moui users have the ability to transcend time. Therefore, isn't it common logic that only one with our power is capable causing such a catastrophe?"

By now, everyone was listening intently. The blue-eyed man seemed rather embarrassed, having all the attention on him. Now that Hinata had a chance to count, it seemed there were about twenty people there, and the orange eyes easily outnumbered the blue ones. "It was Sasuke…" She whispered to herself. In this realm, it seemed that sound had a natural flow, so nobody heard her words.

"I believe them." The elderly man with orange eyes announced. "These girls seem sincere, and what Sakuya says makes sense."

Hinata was partly relieved that someone believed them, and partially terrified that she would have to spend the rest of eternity here, without ever being able to go back to her home. While she pondered what would happen to her now, she began to recognize the elderly man. Soon, it hit her. "You were the Mizukage!"

"Oh, you know me?" He smiled proudly. "I suppose I was, years ago. But I retired when my apprentice ran away."

"Your apprentice?" Hana had an odd feeling when she heard the man speak of this.

"Yes, but I actually met him again a few hours before the earth collapsed. That Ryu is on the path to becoming a true master, but he still has a very long roa-"

"Ryu?!" Hinata gasped. "With the transforming sword?"

"You know my pupil? My, it seems he has made a lot of friends on his journeys." He chuckled. "Who would have thought he would find another Tenshi heir like me… although, I'm Akutenshi and you are Tenshi."

"Wow…" The young man piped up again. "That's a real interesting story and all, but I want to hear about the Earth, what happened to it exactly?" He asked as many others murmured their agreements.

"I was hoping you would mention that again." The woman answered. "I have preserved one tiny part of the world, regulating the flow of time myself without the Timeline. It's a small chance, but we may be able to restore time on that dimension."

"How?" Hinata was astonished. "Osanai died."

"But it's possible to bring him back, right? It's possible for one to be dead, but their body can still be healed and they might return to life." The woman responded. "I know you are a medic, one with good training. Perhaps you can still do something."

"But how can I heal Osanai if he doesn't exist anymore?"

The woman smiled. "It's a good thing you took Osanai back to waterfall to heal him." She said. "And even brought him to the Great Tree, as they call it. You see, I am the spirit of the tree, and I was able to preserve the space around it with my power of time."

"The spirit of the Great Tree…" Hinata was utterly flabbergasted.

"And it seems I am an ancestor to both of you, from thirty generations ago." She smiled at the two girls. "It's wonderful to see that such fine women came from my family line."

"Hana… did you know that we share an ancestor?" Hinata asked her partner.

"Of course. If we both have the same bloodline, we must share family somewhere."

"So, Hinata. Will you go?" The woman asked gently.

"Of course." Hinata smiled, there was still hope to save the world, she would be willing to take any chance to bring that hope to pass.

"Don't accept so quickly, there is much risk involved." The woman warned, her voice becoming much more solemn. "The Earth, after losing its flow of time, has become a void of existence. It has become a part of your world, Hana."

"Then Hana, you can guide me." Hinata smiled at her partner. "Right?"

"Actually…" Hana suddenly had a depressed air about her. "If you stay in my world too long… you'll lose yourself. And I don't mean you'll just go insane, I mean that you could become a totally different person, or you might just cease to exist at all. No matter what… every fate you could meet there is one worse than any death."

"So?" Hinata questioned Hana's warnings. "I don't have anything to lose, do I?"

Hana knew Hinata well enough by now, and also knew that it was pointless to try to talk her out of it. "Fine… I'll take you."

"Oh, it looks like I'm late for the party. What a shame." A new voice arose. It bore a malicious edge, and sounded frighteningly familiar to Hinata.

"Sasuke!" She turned to the source of the voice. "You did this!"

In front of her, standing only a few feet away with an arrogant look on his face, was indeed the one who caused the crash of time. After only a second, though, his expression shifted from haughty, to confused, to shocked. "Hi… Hinata? You…"

The orange glow of his eyes confirmed it in her heart; Sasuke was the one responsible for this. "So you decided to erase the earth? How was that supposed to solve anything?"

Sasuke was still recovering from the surprise of meeting her in this world. "So it looks like we're more closely related than everyone thought. Not just the Uchiha-Hyuuga relation, but the Tenshi no Moui blood as well? What an unexpected turn of events."

"I asked a question…" she demanded.

"Oh, it seems you've grown a little bolder in these past few years." He chuckled loudly, evilly. "Okay, I'll play along: You see, it isn't my intention to leave things as they are; destroying time was simply a step to reshape it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hinata asked.

"Well, it's quite simple if you think hard enough." He smiled in self-pleasure. "I was going to use the opportunity to recreate a few events. I'm not doing anything more complex than going back in time and changing the past."

"Erasing everything is a little bit bigger than that."

"Not at all. In fact, when I'm done, nobody will know that this even happened, because it simply didn't happen. Only those of us right here will know. Naruto will never know. Neji will never know. Kiba and Shino and Kakashi, none of them will ever know that I changed the past." The mastermind's grin widened even more. "Have you finally gotten to know Naruto's love?"

"What?" Hinata murmured apprehensively.

"That sounds like a yes." He cackled with delight. "Well guess what."

"What is it?"

"In my new world, you will not be with him. You, who have the power of Tenshi no Moui, will be forced to remember that you were traveling with him, living with him, and whatever else you did with him – but you will also know that it never happened."

Hinata's eyes widened. Such a thought was unforgivable.

"That's right. You will no longer feel whatever warmth you have been able to feel from him. He will only know you as 'that shy girl from Konoha', _just like he should!_"

"I won't let you…" She managed to whisper under her breath. Her eyes were closed tightly, her breathing was rapid and her fists were tightly clenched.

"What's that, Hinata?" Sasuke looked quite pleased that he was able to elicit a reaction.

"I said…" She replied with a snarl. "I… _won't LET YOU!_" After a few seconds, she calmed down and sneered right back at him. "Sasuke, you will fail."

"How's that?" Sasuke was curious, if nothing else. "We're both lost and clueless in that world now. Nobody, not even these people here, know anything about it. And since I've planned ahead, I have an idea of what I need to do. What do YOU have?"

"A guide." Hinata chuckled. "Hana!"

"Right!" The blonde girl quickly took Hinata's hand. In another instant, they were both gone.

"Hana..." Sasuke ground his teeth in anxiety. "She's supposed to be _DEAD!" _He shouted angrily, then vanished as well.

"What now?" Taku, the red-haired boy wondered aloud. "I have a feeling that this isn't over yet…"

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"What is this place?" Hinata asked. This area had an alien sense about it, as if nothing living had ever passed through before. "Where are we?"

"This is a part of my world which exists to help your mind adjust to the nothingness." Hana began to explain. "Time does not exist outside this room, and it only barely exists here. This room contains – just barely - a few principles which Earth depends on: relativity, light and direction."

Hinata realized that she could no longer 'see' Hana's face, or even her body anymore. She could only sense the other girl's presence. "So that means that we will have to leave this room soon?" She wondered. "Or since time doesn't exist, can we stay here as long as we like?"

"Unfortunately, because of the existence of relativity here, we need to leave as soon as possible. Sasuke needs to enter a place similar to this in order to alter the past, so he will also take some 'time' to do what he wishes as well, but we can't let him get ahead of us."

"I see…" Hinata sighed. "How long do you think I should stay here?"

"Not much longer, actually." Hana seemed to be smiling, but there was no real way to be sure. "Your mind is surprisingly stable here… much more stable than Naruto's was."

"Naruto?!" Hinata was startled. "How did Naruto get here?!"

"I don't really know how to explain it…" Hana hesitated, apparently she was trying to find the right words to use. "The Death God brought him here once. I managed to bring his conscious here once, but never actually brought his entire existence here."

"Is that how you know so much about him?" Hinata asked curiously, wondering internally how much longer they would be here.

"Kind of… Well, I think we can go find Osanai now." Hana changed the subject out of the urgency of the situation. "Let me warn you now…"

"Warn me of what?"

Hana was obviously troubled, despite being invisible. "There is no direction there… we aren't looking for a place. In fact, we aren't _looking_ at all. We are searching for the threads of existence."

"I know… but we can do it, right?"

"I hope so…"

In that very instant, they were ejected from the 'room' where direction and relativity existed, into darkness, nothingness. It was frighteningly similar to the lonely feeling that Hinata had experienced shortly after the collapse of time - only deeper.

She couldn't feel anything at all; no warmth nor cold, no light nor darkness. No air filled her lungs, yet she continued to breathe.

_Welcome to eternity, Hinata._

_What happens now? _She asked mentally, after discovering that no words could come from her lips.

_We are extending our consciousnesses together, carefully, to discover a single point of absolute existence. _

_We are?_

_Yes._

_I am?_

_Yes._

_I don't think I am…_

_You are not._

_I don't understand…_

_You are not expected to. You are to heal Osanai. I am finding him._

_Why are you talking like that?_

_There is only the present._

Hinata was beginning to make sense of the situation; in a world where time does not exist, phrases such as "I will" or "I did" have no meaning. _There is only the present…_

As she waited for an eternity, she slowly felt her own consciousness drift along the random currents in this unknown universe. She unintentionally visited memories from her earliest childhood, and saw visions of what she could only assume to be the future. But what she saw, she could not understand. She did not see any faces or recognize any voices in these visions. She wasn't even sure she was experiencing them at all.

_How am I doing, Hana?_

_You are doing well._

_Are you almost done?_

_I am done._

Hinata didn't understand at all. _But we are still floating in emptiness._

_We are also standing next to Osanai._

_How?_

_An infinite number of 'us' may exist, therefore, we are separately with Osanai._

_I don't understand…_

_You are not expected to._

Other than the utterly confusing remarks from Hana, Hinata felt fine. She didn't feel her soul being erased, or her consciousness becoming lost, or anything else Hana may have warned her about.

Totally unannounced, a flash of light filled her vision, obliterating the nothingness. While her eyes adjusted, she found herself overwhelmed by senses: She felt the air in her lungs and on her skin. She felt the warm grass under her knees. She smelled the trees and heard the silence.

"The Great Tree…" She muttered. "Amazing, Hana… how did you do it?"

_I don't think I could ever explain,_ was the mental response, _It looks like she was right. Osanai is still right there…_

"It's kind of eerie… isn't it?" Hinata muttered as she looked around. "All around, I see darkness…"

_Don't start. _Hana half-joked. _Just heal that kid so we can all get back home._

Hinata nodded silently and leaned in closer to Osanai. His eyes were open and lifeless, and his mouth still gaped as if he was trying to pull one last breath. A chill ran down Hinata's spine as she stared at him, remembering her training. He had only been dead for a few minutes, so it was still technically possible to revive him, assuming his body was in capable shape.

_What are you waiting for? _Hana was starting to worry.

"I don't know… this is just… weird…" Hinata muttered as she rested her hands on Osanai's forehead and began her treatment again.

While Hinata worked, Hana took the moment as a chance to ponder what had just happened. That is, the sensation she had just felt while they floated in the void. She knew what it was, and she knew she could reach it if she tried. And at that moment she realized that she could reach it, a single, selfish desire raised itself in her heart.

_Hinata… when you're done, I need to take you into my world again… there's something I want to do._

"Okay." Hinata agreed. It was the very least she could do as thanks for getting her this far. "I… I think I'm almost done." The span of several minutes passed before Hinata removed her hands from Osanai's body. An anxious sigh escaped her mouth before she took a moment to look around. It was as if by magic… the entire world was exactly how it had been before. "Hana… we did it…"

_What an unsatisfying feeling…_ Hana mentally chuckled. _I was hoping it would be more dramatic than that._

"I've had enough drama…" Hinata smiled. "Shall we go to your world again?"

_Yeah, there's something I want you to help me with._

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**THE NEXT DAY**

"Are you sure you didn't feel anything weird yesterday?" Naruto asked his companions on the ship's deck. "Not even you two, Tenkou… Kentou?"

Ten and Ken both shook their heads slowly. Sighing, Kentou, Sasaki's older brother and Ryoku's good friend, said "Yesterday was pretty uneventful, aside from Hinata flying away."

"I figured it had something to do with Kyuubi…" The blond-haired youth crossed his eyes in confusion. "Maybe I was imagining things… but still… it felt _really_ weird… but kind of familiar."

"Well it doesn't matter." Tenkou inhaled deeply through his nose. "It feels like we're getting closer to shore."

Naruto took a quick whiff too, in case Tenkou was talking about some mysterious scent. "What are you talking about? I don't feel anything."

"Can't you tell?" Ten was mildly surprised. "The waves are getting choppier, there are more seabirds; We should probably be able to see the harbor an minute now."

Surely enough, the blue-haired boy who had grown up on the ocean was right. Naruto and the others gathered their belongings and disembarked quickly. Tenkou said his final farewells to the Captain, and before they knew it, the ragtag group was off on its way. They rushed through late-winter forests, leaves were beginning to bud on a few of the trees, and temperatures were already uncomfortably high for Sasaki and Kentou, who were used to the severe weather of Snow country.

Eventually, they reached the foothills of Whirlpool country, where they would soon find Waterfall village, hidden deep in a mountainside. "Hey, it's Hinata!" Tenkou shouted and waved in the direction of the colossal waterfall. "Who are the rest of them?"

"Hinata." He pointed at Hinata, which he realized immediately was kind of dumb – they all knew her already. "Arashi," he pointed at Arashi. "Ero-sennin," He pointed at Jiraiya

"'Ero-…sennin?'" Sasaki repeated, she wasn't so sure coming here was a good idea anymore. "Who's that blond girl?"

Naruto looked the girl over for a moment before answering; "Never seen her in my life."

The mysterious blonde girl had a bright smile on her face when she saw them approaching – in fact, her grin was possibly happier than Hinata's. "Naruto!" She shouted and started running toward them.

"Uh…" Tenkou turned to the very confused blond boy. "Are you sure you don't know her?"

Before Naruto could respond, the girl had her arms wrapped tightly around him. "I never thought I would be able to meet you like this!" She shouted cheerfully and let go to look at his face. "I can't believe I'm really here."

Naruto was able to get a glimpse of Hinata's face behind the crazy new girl. She was clearly just as confused as he was. After looking over at Hinata, he turned to the blonde girl, who was still holding his arms above the elbows. She had blond hair that dropped below her shoulders, bright blue eyes and a fairly pretty face, but he still had no idea how she could possibly know him.

"Umm…" He chuckled nervously and looked up and to the left, focusing on nothing in particular as he asked, "Who are you?"

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**OMAKE TIME! WOOHOO! Oh, and for those of you who don't know what "Omake" means: It's the Manga equivalent of DVD Extras. Many manga artists add an "Omake" to the beginning or end of their manga volumes. I do it at the end of my fanfic chapters.**

**Whew, another weirdo chapter that is confusing, makes little sense and doesn't seem to have much to do with the plot! But don't worry, all will make sense in due time!**

**Cheez: GENTLEMEN. WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY. WE CAN REBUILD THE TIMELINE. Well, this chapter was filled with win and Internet, which are antonyms. Don't ask me how he did it, DarthMonkey be keepin' his hoe's in check. Well, time for a personal happening; Today I was in Health class, and during the pledge of allegiance, we all stood up for the pledge, etc. the works. After the 'moment of silence' my partially retarded teacher (who once crapped himself) told the girl next to me, "Miss, you need to stand up, this is a free country!" So, not only did he completely contradict himself, but he falsely accused her. Now, this part may offend some, but I believe this ... 'African-American' girl had been having a very bad day. She began muttering some very mean words under her mouth, including but not limited to, "Jackass" "Piece of shit" and I'm sure you can use your imagination from there. Well, at this point, my illiterate teacher shouted out to her, "Girl you got something to say, come up here and say it to my face!" And so, she did, shouting it all. Once she was done, he replied "Well you go tell that to the office and get a six week In-School-Suspension." She complied, getting her bag and walking out, however, once she stepped out of the door she shouted at the top of **_**HER**_** lungs, "SUCK MY DICK!" The entire classroom was shocked beyond words. After a 10 second pause, our teacher replied in his 'inside voice' "You don't have one!"**

**And there is my story for great justice. Good night, this is Chris Hansen on Dateline NBCs: To Catch a Predator.**

**Monkey: …………….. o…k……**

**Erm, that was a nice story. I'll leave it in here because of the punchline. Lol. Anyway, The Omake continues with my QA session!**

Were you satisfied with the way it went?

Do you want me to include the other Tenshi no Moui users from the past any more?

Naruto is clueless! Do you think you know who Hana is?

Are you looking forward to next week? Yea, next week! I'm uploading a comedy chapter next Friday!

( I'll hope to have weekly updates from now on. And sorry for the long wait for this chapter… it's actually been written for a long time, but my betas an I have been busy.)

Do you have any problems with anything that has happened in the story thus far?


	46. Fun, Action and a Mystery!

Okay! Time for a long, fun chapter! And remember that attack names in Japanese will be translated in the "Monkey Omake" at the end of the chapter.

**Chapter 46: Fun, Action and a Mystery XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Two days had passed since Naruto had finally returned to Waterfall, bearing new teammates. And three days had passed since Hana, a blonde girl with no past, had just appeared out of the blue. Almost everyone figured she had some secret to hide – but what could it be? Was she a spy? Was she an alien? Was she actually a boy in disguise? Nobody knew, and Genka was determined to unveil the answers to all three questions… and some other questions that actually made sense to answer.

And thus, the fateful Genka Detective Squad was formed. The ranks were as follows:

Leader: Genka. (Refuses to let anyone else be in charge)

Second-in-command: Shuuzen. (Forced into the position by Genka)

Surveillance Officer: Osanai. (Almost fully recovered)

Bodyguard 1: Ryoku (Joined out of pity for Shuuzen)

Bodyguard 2: Naruto (Forced into a lame position by Genka. He wanted to be second-in-command, but she wouldn't allow it)

Investigator: Sasame (Was actually interested for some reason)

Other Members: Mei, Sasaki and Kentou. (Nobody knew why they joined)

Speaking of Sasaki, there were only two days left on her bet with Tenkou, and she was still just as single as she had been from the start. The blue-haired boy was already secretly preparing a victory dance. (Little did he know, girls always have the last laugh, and will always have the last laugh forever. A male is not allowed by the powers of the cosmos to truly get the last laugh when competing with a girl.)

So, why does Genka need a detective force to find out Hana's secrets? Well, because she didn't think to ask Hinata. In fact, _nobody_ thought to ask Hinata. Everyone assumed that she wouldn't want to be a part of the detective force, so Hinata doesn't even know that people wonder about Hana. Since it was created in secret, Hinata was totally unaware of the existence of Genka's mock team of clandestine investigators. (Not that she would have told them anything, since she respected Hana's desire to keep it hidden.)

Now, you may remember that Jiraiya knows who Hana is. He was actually one of Genka's first potential recruits, but declined the offer. He figured it would be interesting to watch Genka's antics, since things had been pretty boring as of late. (All of his favorite "adult" hangouts were gone.)

The Sand Three declined her offer as well. Don't forget that they came to Waterfall with Ryoku. Gaara seemed to find little or no interest in the idea (It was a little hard to tell if he even had a sense of curiosity, let alone whether or not he actually had the slightest desire to know about Hana's past. In the end, Temari and Kankurou declined as well, simply because they were smart enough to avoid involvement with Genka (They were warned about Genka by Ryoku).

Tenkou also declined because he was somewhat terrified of Genka's ideas to get Hana to spill her secrets – although he didn't know that Genka was joking when she told him about the methods. Even if it was because of a misunderstanding, it's probably for the best that he didn't get involved (yet)

Arashi was blissfully unaware of the group's presence. They noticed that he was particularly chummy with the girl, and Genka didn't trust him to keep a secret for a second. She figured that if the blondie joined them, their target would be onto them within an hour (Which was actually true).

These have been the makings of the events that transpired in the following two days. This is their story. **Consider yourself warned (Seriously).**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XxXxX **_**Day One**_** XxXxX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tenkou was walking down the hallways of the Shugokage building, innocently carrying the remainder of his bags to his new room when it happened. He knew, of course, that he would sooner or later be dragged into the activities surrounding Hana – it was only common sense since everyone else was already playing a part on Genka's team. But little did he expect that he would wind up involved in a totally different way.

The boy lugged the heavy bag past the room next to his, then revealed a shiny brass key from his pocket. "I'm almost finished moving in…" He sighed less happily than one should expect. "But nobody offered to help me…"

He could hear running water and a faint harmonic humming noise from the door next to his room. "It sounds like someone is taking a shower." He noted aloud. "I wonder who lives next door to me… I hope it's somebody normal… please let it be someone normal."

His pitiful begging would not be answered, however he would eventually realize that he was getting the lesser of many evils with his hall mate…

Slowly, dramatically, he inserted the key into the lock. He could hear the pins aligning with the notches and grooves on his key; a sound of ownership. This was _his_ room. But sadly, before Tenkou could turn the key… the fateful event, which would send him deep into the inevitable spiral of Genka's crazy detectives, happened. A blonde girl, whom he recognized as Hana, exploded out of the door next to his room.

He was surprisingly unsurprised to see that she was wearing only a towel. After all, he did hear someone taking a shower in that room. What surprised him was the dialogue that followed the fateful meeting.

"WHAT KIND OF WEIRD PERVERT ARE YOU?!" She screamed back into her room.

"Oh no…" Tenkou heard the voice of Shuuzen, the resident doctor – and the only sane person in the village, as it seemed. (He openly admitted that he was often as zany as anyone else) – behind him. "Did Jiraiya do something strange?"

To answer her question, none other than Genka herself emerged from the doorway – soaking wet - with Hana's eyes locked disgustedly on her. "There's no escape!" Genka cackled evilly (terrifying Tenkou even more).

The blue-haired teen took immediate action. "Hana, this way!" He shouted, grabbed her arm and dashed off. Genka was totally unable to follow, as he had used his mastery of water to solidly freeze her soaking wet clothes.

When the boy and Hana were gone, Genka sighed in defeat. "Doesn't that kid know I'm just playing around?" She groaned at Shuuzen.

"It didn't look like playing from this angle." The albino woman shook her head in disgrace. "Sometimes I can't believe I associate with you, let alone call myself your best friend."

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"I can't believe that Genka would go this far!" Tenkou groaned loudly as he waited for Hana to change. "Naruto warned me about her… but I had no idea! Did you know that Genka is trying to get all your secrets or something?"

"I figured it was something like that." Hana replied from behind him. They were standing in the guest bedroom that Tenkou was staying in until his permanent room was ready for him to move into. Fortunately, there was still one last bag of clothes left behind for Hana to change into. "I've been playing along these past few days, it was actually kind of fun… up until now, that is." She laughed quietly. "Okay, I'm done. How do I look?"

Tenkou turned around. She looked like a girl wearing a baggy shirt and sweatpants. "You look nice." He half-lied. Sure, to some men the look could be very appealing, but it wasn't his thing.

"Oi, Tenkou." Came a dull, monotonous voice as the door opened. "I'm here to make sure you're finished movi-…" Gaara himself froze in his tracks when he saw Hana. "I'm sorry for disturbing you…" He muttered quietly and quickly left the room.

_I think we've been misunderstood… _Was the thought that ran through both of their minds. _Oh well… it's just that Gaara guy…_

It took a few seconds to recover from that odd interruption. "You know… I could use an ally." Hana suddenly turned mischievous. "It could make things more interesting."

"Are you talking about this thing with Genka?" He guessed, hoping to all hope that he was wrong.

"Yep!" She laughed happily. "So are you in?"

"Do I have a choice?" He groaned. "I guess that's a stupid question. Fine, I'm in… on one condition."

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"So this is the rumored entrance to Waterfall Village?" Zan whistled in awe. "It's _humongous!_"

"Yeah, it's quite a natural wonder." Ryu agreed with a gentle nod of his head. "It's really easy to appreciate something so magnificent."

Zan took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "It smells so pure here; almost totally untouched by mankind. How wonderful is that?"

"Very much so." Ryu replied happily. "And just wait until we get insi-"

"Shut up you hippies…" Risuki groaned in utter annoyance. "I'm tired of hearing how intricate and beautiful nature is. I just want to get this stupid thing over with."

"What's she all pissed off about?" Zan blinked in confusion. "I mean… she's a bit more anal than usual."

"I'll pretend I never heard that…" Risuki murmured while grinding her teeth, being very careful not to 'accidentally' injure the boy with her knife.

Ryu laughed heartily. "She probably doesn't want to apologize to Naruto."

"Why would I apologize to him?" Risuki asked angrily. "And why would I have to apologize in the first place, anyway?"

"It's only natural that we should apologize for leaving them, and you obviously have some sense of camaraderie with Naruto." He remarked. "You two are a lot alike, after all."

"Stop making so much sense…" Risuki commanded.

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"It's sure been crazy these past few weeks…" Naruto slowly let out a long, tired sigh. "I can't believe we've lasted this long."

"A lot has happened…" Hinata agreed. "But look… we're getting closer and closer. I wonder how many Jinchuuriki we have now."

"Me, Gaara, Tenkou, Kentou, Ryoku… that's five." Naruto responded.

"Six if you count Risuki." Hinata added. "That accounts for two-thirds of the Jinchuuriki."

"Yeah…" Naruto sighed once more. "But there's still a long way to go…"

Footsteps were heard behind them. "Naruto," Gaara reported in. "Tenkou will be finished moving out of the temporary room… eventually…"

"Eh?" Naruto turned around, somewhat perplexed. "Why isn't he done ye- eh?!" He gasped in shock.

"What is it?" Gaara grunted and quickly turned to leave the room without an answer. Before making his escape, he turned around and added. "It might be a good idea to ask him about that at a… later… time. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go slaughter something to clear my mind." _Such a disturbing sight…_

Several seconds later, Hinata spoke up. "Naruto… is it just me or was he blushing?"

"That's impossible." Naruto shook his head violently, dismissing the idea. "It's impossible for Gaara to blush. He was probably just angry or something. Yeah… that makes sense… kinda…"

"So how do you think we'll find the remaining three Jinchuuriki?" Hinata wondered aloud. "I don't even know where to start looking. And everyone else seems to be out of clues too…

"I dunno…" Naruto groaned.

"Yo, Naruto!" An oddly familiar voice rang behind them, where Gaara had escaped a few minutes ago. "Was that the Kazekage just a second ago?"

"… That voice…" Naruto rolled his eyes in deep thought. "Who could that be… wait… Risu?!" Naruto spun around in a flash to see if it was really her.

It was. "DON'T CALL ME THAT!" She screamed viciously. "SERIOUSLY!"

"Risuki?" Hinata spun around to confirm it for herself. "And Ryu! And…"

"Zan." The boy replied with a polite smile. "Please, just call me Zan."

"Zan… You're really someone with a lot of different sides, aren't you?" Ryu chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"What are you guys doing back?!" Naruto asked loudly and excitedly. "It's so great to see you again, especially you, Risuki!"

"Well of course!" She snickered. "Who wouldn't miss someone as fabulous as myself?"

"Well… I mean because you're a Jinchuuriki…" Naruto chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.

"Oh…" Risuki's shoulders sank at that reality. "Well, in that case…"

"I'm also a Jinchuuriki." Zan informed them with a smile. _It looks like Naruto doesn't recognize me… Although nobody ever told him I was a Jinchuuriki, I at least thought he'd remember my face…_

"Seriously?!" Naruto was becoming even more excited. "That's great!" If not for what pride he had, he would have been jumping with glee by now.

"So is Ryu." Risuki said discreetly between false coughs.

"Well… sort of." Ryu chuckled lightly. "My sword is actually a three-tailed monster shark." He informed them of part of the truth. In his heart, he was still having trouble with the idea that he himself was the seal.

"So…" Naruto's eyes were wide as saucepans, and you could probably score a three-pointer in his mouth. "We only need one more…"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XxXxX **_**Day Two**_** XxXxX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The next day started off as a pretty normal one (considering the group, at least). But that ended when Hana decided to directly confront her opponent.

"Genka-san." She said loudly. "Let's make a deal…"

"Let's hear it." Genka replied as slyly as she could. "What kind of deal could you possibly have that could appeal to me."

"Yeah, Hana…" Tenkou agreed nervously. "What kind of deal are you planning on here?"

"It's simple!" She declared excitedly, with a smile that did not comfort Tenkou at all. "If you can capture me by the end of today, then I will do _anything_ you ask. If you want to know any secrets, I'll tell you anything as well."

"Oh, but how long does this reward last?" Genka asked suspiciously.

"That depends on how fast you catch me. It all ends at midnight, so if you catch me in five minutes, then I'll have to follow your orders for the next fourteen hours."

Genka couldn't believe how easy this was going to be. "What's the catch?" She asked aloud.

"That's it." Hana chuckled confidently. "Do you accept?"

"Yes!" Genka stated loudly. "With everyone in this room as my witness, I accept the terms!" She grinned evilly. There was no way Hana would be able to back down from this, almost everyone in Shugokage was here – with the exception of the mysterious Sand Trio of course. "Let's shake hands on it."

"Okay." Hana stepped forward and extended her hand.

They quickly shook hands, each with a devilish glint in her eye. Tenkou was starting to regret joining up with Hana.

"Of course…" Hana smiled smartly and chuckled. "You'll find it especially difficult to catch me. And of course, I have Ten-kun as an ally."

"She called me it again…" Tenkou mumbled in a low voice so that nobody could hear him. "Why did she have to give me a nickname?"

"And Naruto will help me too, won't you, Naruto?" Hana put on her most pitiful-looking face and turned to him. "Right?"

Naruto chuckled awkwardly. "Actually…"

"NARUTO BELINGS TO ME! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!" Genka laughed evilly. "He's already on _my _team, and I doubt you'll be able to get him to help you."

"I didn't have much choice… Sorry, Hana." Naruto scratched his head. "I'm stuck with Genka."

Hana obviously hadn't foreseen this event. _Crap…_ She thought internally. "Ten-kun…"

"Yes?" Tenkou mumbled in her direction.

"This could be harder than I thought…" She informed him in a less-than-confident voice.

"Well it's not like it's that great a secret, Hana. Just give up and tell her what it is if you're so unsure that we can win." He suggested.

"I can't do that…" Hana looked up at the ceiling. "I said I'd be her servant for the day as well… You absolutely can't let that happen to me!"

"It's true that she will probably make you do something really dumb…" Tenkou sighed. "Whatever, I'm stuck on your side. I might as well try to win."

"Unf!" He heard Hana's muffled voice. Turning his head up, he saw that the girl was already in Genka's arms. "Helf me Ten!" She shouted, still muffled by Genka's hand.

"Right…" He stood up dutifully and started to stare down Genka. "You haven't officially gotten her yet until you can escape or defeat me."

"Let's see what you've got, Ten-kun." Genka challenged foolishly. To the side, Naruto grinned knowing that the woman was totally clueless about Tenkou's abilities.

Genka suddenly felt a heavy pressure in her grip on Hana. Before she knew it, her arms were forced open by some unknown air pressure. And what's worse, the girl floated away from her into Tenkou's arms.

"You lose, Genka-san." He announced before leaping out the open window, Hana still in his arms, leaving a small indoor whirlwind in his wake to add to the confusion in the room.

Once they were safely on the grass outside, two stories below the window, he let Hana out of his arms.

"Ten'ou!" She coined another nickname for him. "That was awesome! How'd you do that? I've never seen a ninja technique like that."

"That's because Ninjas can't do it." He informed her, transforming himself into bishounen-mode. "I am a Storm Mage from a faraway land. My clan has the ability to control the elements of Water and Air. I happen to be the strongest in several generations. I am Arashi Tenkou!"

"Mage?" She asked confusedly. "What's that?"

"Eh… we're like ninjas, but with different abilities." He simplified it for her. Despite the fact that she was a wise being from another universe, and one with vast knowledge of many worlds, she could be clueless. "What about you, since you're in Shugokage, you must be a ninja right?"

"Nope." She answered happily. "Didn't I tell you already?"

"Tell me what?" He asked. "You told me a lot of your secrets that Genka is trying to find out… But I don't think you told me anything about being a ninja or anything else."

"Oh…" She sighed. "Well, the truth is… I'm an angel."

"A… what?" Tenkou didn't buy it for one second.

"Well… sort of. I'm actually a Tenshi no Moui user." She reiterated, more truthfully this time. After a few seconds, her face brightened as she realized something. "Hey… Tenshi… Tenkou. Isn't that cool? We're the Ten-Team!"

Before Tenkou could respond (he was actually kind of excited with the coincidence, somehow), they heard footsteps in the grass.

"You're a lot more energetic than I expected, Hana." Hinata said happily. "So you've told Tenkou about yourself?"

"Mostly, yeah." Hana smiled happily. She was a very happy person.

"So, Hana…" Tenkou butted in gently. "Everyone has been wondering… do you like Naruto or something?"

"Actually, I'm curious too." Hinata added. "What exactly is your relationship with him? You said before that you know him even better than I do… do you really have any romantic feelings for him?"

"R… R…" Blood immediately shot up to Hana's face, bringing a dark red tone to her cheeks. "Romantic?! Of course not! Never in a million years! No way! That's gross! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"

Hinata and Tenkou both took a few steps backwards as if they were facing a raging fire… or a crazy teenage girl. "Uh… okay…" They replied in unison, satisfied for the moment. "Good to know." They spoke together again.

"Oh wait…" Tenkou seemed to remember something. "Speaking of romance…"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"YOU LOSE!" The blue-haired boy gloated loudly when they found Sasaki. "Haha! Take that!" He pointed dramatically at her face.

"Be nice…" Sasaki murmured.

"What's going on over here?" Osanai walked into the room with Mei. The living room of the Shugokage building was finally furnished with some decent sofas, courtesy of Mei's father.

"Sasaki and I had a bet. If she could get a boyfriend before she turned sixteen, then she could make fun of my clan's traditions of not dating until you're sixteen. But if she didn't, then… well I actually think I got ripped off. I can only rub it in her face."

"Isn't that kind of mean?" Mei asked quietly. "Telling a girl that she isn't able to find a boyfriend… That's a little harsh."

"Awwww man. Now I feel guilty… I never win." Tenkou pouted while Hana laughed at him.

"What's all the commotion?" Ryu walked into the room and casually tossed himself onto one of the sofas. He was shortly followed by Zan, who politely lowered himself onto the seat.

"Wait a sec…" Zan was staring at the redhead next to Osanai. "Mei-chan?"

"Eh?" She looked confused for a second, then her face turned bright red. "Zan?!"

"Is this that Mei girl you told us about, Zan? The daughter of the mobster?" Ryu asked, again using his I-don't-care casual attitude. "Who would have expected you'd run into her here?" He chuckled, then added quietly, "other than me, that is."

"Who's Zan?" Osanai asked curiously. He was especially curious about Mei's blush, which was doubtlessly suspicious.

"Just a guy I know from my childhood… he was raised by a friend of my father." Then her eyes shifted to the left as she focused on the wall while she whispered, "I… um… I had a really big crush on him a few years ago."

"But you're over that… right?" Osanai was becoming genuinely afraid now.

"Of- of course!" She assured him. "I only love you!" She declared. A second later, her eyes met Zan's and another blush showed itself on her cheeks.

Zan looked over at the unfamiliar boy next to Mei. Upon visual inspection, he knew that Osanai wasn't supremely happy about this news. "I have a feeling… I may be unwelcome with some of you guys."

"No…" Osanai chuckled awkwardly and extended his hand in what was intended to be a hospitable mannerism. "Please… if you need anything at all… just ask me…" _At least she lives in my house and this guy lives in Shugokage…_ He thought, mostly just to reassure himself. _Now that I think of it… I wonder when the fact that we live under one roof will blow up in my face…_

For the past few crazy days, they were both living in Shugokage's headquarters with everyone else while things got settled. To be frank, the last time they both stayed under Osanai's roof was long ago, and also long before they had become a couple. _What will happen now that we're together? Something tells me I don't want to know…_

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"Tenkou and Hana seem to be getting along well." Hinata told Naruto with a smile. "I'm glad she's getting along with everyone."

"I still don't have any idea who she is…" Naruto complained and rolled his eyes. "When will you tell me?"

"She wants to be the one to tell you. You seem to be special to her, somehow." Hinata carefully told him what she felt was necessary.

"I hope she doesn't have feelings for me… That would be troublesome…" He whined, taking a page from Shikamaru's book.

"Don't worry, Tenkou and I already cleared that up." She laughed quietly, just like she always does. "She actually seemed somewhat disgusted with the idea of having romantic feelings for you. You can imagine what a relief that was, especially after she hugged you like that before."

"'Disgusted'?" That was a severe blow to Naruto's manly pride. "Now, what's THAT supposed to mean? What's so disgusting about me?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Oh, I've caught you alone?" Sasame smiled wickedly. She had found Osanai leaving the Shugokage building by himself. He was going to do mandatory paperwork as leader of the village. "Something tells me you're troubled with these new circumstances."

"You mean with Mei and Zan?" He asked as calmly as he could. "Nah, why would I be-…" He stopped, knowing that there was no point in lying to Sasame, who had learnt the ways of sneakiness from Genka. "Of course, what man wouldn't be bothered by that?"

"That's not what I meant, but good to know." She snickered. "I meant about your living arrangements. You and Mei haven't stayed together since you became an item, have you?"

_What kind of mind-reader is this woman? _He asked himself internally, half-terrified and half-amazed. "Eh…" He scratched his cheek nervously. "Well…"

"Hmm…" Sasame grinned. "You two could probably pull it off."

"Pull … what off?" He asked, afraid of the answer. "You don't mean… _that?_"

"What, can't you do it?" Sasame was having fun now. Such mischief was so unlike her, and it was quite a freshening experience. "Could it be that the Flirt Master has a chaste side?"

"Of course! I was raised to be a gentleman!" He nearly shouted. "Wait… what the heck is 'Flirt Master' supposed to mean? Who calls me that?"

"Everyone does." The grin on her face widened. After that, she decided that she was done teasing the poor boy. "But really, what are you going to do about Mei?"

"I don't know…" He groaned. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Just do it the same way you did last time, I guess." She shrugged. "Or you could try sleeping together."

"No." He rolled his eyes. "That will _not_ be happening any time soon."

"Oh, something tells me you're wrong." She laughed knowingly, although she was just making it up. "Well, see ya later. I'll let you do whatever you need to do."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Yeh, nothing interesting is happening around here…" Jiraiya groaned loudly while he leaned against a wall of some building in town. "All the nice (adult entertainment) shops closed down. And even though there's such a nice river outside the village, there are never any girls bathing there – because the village is supposed to be kept secret, of course, but still..."

"Yo, Ero-sennin!"

"Arashi…" The old man groaned even louder. "Why must you call me that? I seem to recall a time when you respected me."

"I do respect you! The nickname just fits you so well, I couldn't help it." The ghost laughed merrily and leaned on the wall. Suddenly, he became more serious. "So… Hana has a body now."

"Yeah… I don't understand it at all." Jiraiya nodded slowly. "You don't think Naruto could be involved, do you? He often has his hands in these sorts of things."

"No, he seems totally oblivious." Arashi chuckled. "Maybe Hinata had something to do with it. We don't fully know the powers of Tenshi no Moui."

"Maybe Hana herself managed to do something." Jiraiya ventured. It was certainly feasible. "We don't fully know her powers either."

"True…" Arashi closed his eyes and sighed.

"Hey, Arashi…" Jiraiya prodded, "if you're a ghost, how are you leaning on that wall?"

"Huh? What wall?" The specter turned his head and looked at the gray concrete structure. Suddenly, he disappeared into the cement with a yelp. A few seconds later, he reappeared looking as if he'd seen a ghost.

"What's wrong?" The ghost's old master asked, concerned.

"Just… walk away quietly. Maybe they will think they didn't actually see me…"

"Who will think that?"

"Well… when I realized I was leaning against an object, I got confused and fell through it… And well, there was a bedroom on the other side." He laughed nervously, but it was obviously a pained laugh. "And… nobody was sleeping."

Jiraiya immediately turned around, walked up to the cement wall and pressed his ear against it. Arashi decided it was best to just leave him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Arashi's kind of a jerk." Mei complained openly to Sasame. "He can be nice at times, but when it boils down to it, he's just selfish."

"I don't think so." Sasame defended the ghost. "He's been pretty nice to us. What did he do to you?"

"Well, one time when my arm was in a sling and I couldn't even move it, he made me carry groceries by myself! I asked him to help and he just refused and left."

"Well, I'm sure he had his reasons…" The brunette laughed awkwardly. _I guess she doesn't know he's a ghost yet._ "Oh, speaking of your arm, how is it now?"

"It's a lot better, but I still can't really do much with it. Shuuzen-san said that it'll probably always be weak from now on." Mei responded, somehow cheerfully.

Arashi walked into the room at that moment, muttering something about old men and perverts. After receiving a glancing look from Mei, he asked, "Um… is this a bad time."

"Will you please explain to Mei why you can't do anything, physically?" Sasame asked nicely. "She seems to see you as some sort of jerk."

Arashi looked slightly baffled for a moment, then he realized what she meant. "That's right! I never did tell you that I'm a ghost, did I? Hehe, sorry, it kinda slipped my mind."

The explanation might as well have gone in one ear and out the other. "I'm not buyin' that one." Mei folded her arms stubbornly.

"No, really! I'm a ghost. Here, see?" He walked over to Sasame and pointed at his torso, indicating that she should poke him.

Just as asked, Sasame pushed her arm through Arashi's belly, through the front and out the back.

Mei made an amazed noise that sounded like "Ugyeehuoh?!", then continued with people words; "No way! He's like, not there!" She then leapt forward and proceeded to thrust her own hand into the ghost's belly. "Cooooooooool."

"Am I forgiven?" He asked with an extremely awkward chuckle.

"Sure, this explains most of it."

While she entertained herself with the blonde ghost's stomach, she was nearly trampled by Tenkou and Hana as they exploded through the room. Then she WAS trampled by Genka and Naruto as they tried to catch the first two.

"Ah! Mei and Sasame, you're members of my team right? Help us catch those two!" Genka ordered and started to dash off again. Sasame shrugged and followed quickly, leaving the non-ninja – and therefore slower – Mei and the uninformed Arashi in her dust.

"What was that all about?" Arashi blinked in bewilderment as he stared at the door they had all barreled through.

Mei had a similar expression on her face as she shrugged. "Dunno…"

**XXXXX**

"Haha!" Tenkou laughed at their pursuers as he ran behind Hana. "This is your fourth attempt since this morning, and how many successes have you had?"

"Shaddup!" Genka growled back.

Tenkou followed Hana around a corner and something caught his eye: A large vase with a flower in it. And that meant that there was probably water! With a whip of his wrist, he grabbed the vessel and laughed heartily as he dumped it onto the floor behind him.

Genka, without thinking, stepped into the puddle of water and suddenly fell forward, halted in her tracks. Looking at her feet, she realized that they were frozen in substantially large blocks of solid ice. "Oi, that could have broken my ankles!" She yelled at her escaping objective as she began the attempt to remove her feet.

"Nice, Ten!" Hana cheered when she looked back to see what had happened.

"There are still Naruto and Sasame." He reported with a grin. He was _definitely _having fun.

"Leave them to me." Hana returned the grin, only a bit more devious. "They have one very effective weakness. That is Sasame's huge crush on Naruto, and his embarrassment about it."

She stopped running and turned around to face their chasers. Naruto rounded the corner first, so she held her hand in front of her, pinching her thumb and middle finger as the whiskered blonde stampeded down the hall. When Naruto was within spitting distance, Hana snapped her fingers.

The sound echoed loudly down the hall, and Naruto was held paralyzed in midair, defying gravity with a very puzzled expression plastered to his face. Not three seconds later, Sasame rocketed down the hall behind him. The instant she realized what was about to happen, she also realized it was too late. Her momentum carried her forward and she smashed into Naruto's back like a sack of potatoes.

By now, Hana and Tenkou were long gone, and Naruto and Sasame plummeted forward with all of their previous momentum, crashing into the floor in a position better than Hana could have planned for; Naruto was pinned between Sasame and a wall that had previously been in front of them, and what's worse… their mouths were touching.

Sasame didn't think for a moment, caught in the sheer bliss of feeling Naruto's lips. But when her brain turned back on, she yelped and jumped back, apologizing profusely.

After a minute or two of very awkward silence, Naruto said, "I think they won this round… let's go unfreeze Genka."

**XXXXX**

At that time, Tenkou and Hana realized their victory. They had escaped to the outdoors and stopped for a breather underneath a tree – even thought it didn't actually protect them from any sunlight, seeing as they were still underground with a cloudless illusion of a sky above their heads. "That was awesome! You owned them!" Tenkou laughed hysterically and fell to the ground. "How did you do that? That wasn't any normal ninja move."

"It was Tenshi no Moui. Even without activating it, I can use some of its powers. Speaking of that, I should probably teach Hinata how to do it too… But whatever, we totally escaped!" She shouted, bouncing up and down excitedly.

Once they had calmed down a little, Sasaki walked up to the tree they were resting at, carrying an object Tenkou recognized from list time: Her trusty compound bow.

"Hey, Sasaki, are you out here for target practice?" Tenkou gave her a friendly smile. "Can I watch?"

"You're the target." Sasaki returned his friendly smile mockingly, then knocked a rubber-tipped arrow with a wicked grin.

"Eh?!" He leapt to his feet. "But you're not on Genka's team."

Hana stood up too and tapped his shoulder. "I think it's personal, Ten'ou."

"This isn't about the bet, is it?" The blue-haired boy realized suddenly.

"I think it is, Ten'ou." Hana nodded, although she wasn't the one the question was directed at. "Good luck."

Tenkou ran off screaming incoherently, as if chased by a wild boar, leaving Hana laughing at the sight. Sasaki shared a laugh with the blonde girl before dashing off after Tenkou.

The targeted boy managed to dodge the first shot without too much trouble, then the second one came pretty close. He realized quickly that the air in this environment was dry, too dry for him to use his water powers effectively. Fortunately, he had his wind power to fall back on. The next three arrows went wide, missing him by five or six feet.

"Oh, you're using your air powers huh?" Sasaki laughed and knocked another rubber arrow. "Well, I'm not called "Super Sniper" for nothing!"

This arrow, he noticed, had a faint white glow. _That looks like the move she used on that fish dude! _Tenkou realized with a jolt, remembering the laser-like speed and precision of her shots at Kisame, not to mention the curving shots she had pulled off somehow.

Sasaki let the chakra-loaded arrow fly. It traveled an almost perfectly straight path at him, missing his forehead by mere inches as it went high, barely dodged by the boy.

"Oh, nice!" Hana cheered from the sidelines. "You should teach Hinata how to do that, Sasaki-chan!"

Next, the archer locked four arrows onto the bowstring, releasing chakra into each one. When they were let loose, they streaked in four different directions, curving to converge on one point.

_This is it! _Tenkou realized. _It's time for my special move! _

With the familiar whip of his wrist, he reached for what little water he could find in the air, and pulled what he could out of the ground as fast as he could. A second later, a bluish-white sword, reminiscent of a standard katana, was gripped tightly in his hand. With a swing of the blade, a blast of wind erupted around him in all directions.

Two of the arrows were blown just off course, missing him by a foot or two. The other two arrows were cut into two pieces and lying on the ground. Hana and Sasaki both stared in surprise for a second. "Hikazekiri…" Tenkou said when all was over, just loud enough to sound cool. "My ultimate technique."

"NICE!" Hana yelled. "You guys are amazing! How can you curve your arrows like that? And where'd your sword come from? Tenkou wins!"

"Eh? Since when are you the judge?" Sasaki asked in minor annoyance, although she was pretty much finished by then anyway.

"Oi, Tenkou!" Hana ran over to him and examined the sword. "Is it made of ice? How'd you learn to do something like that?"

"They're ignoring me…" Sasaki mumbled and loaded another arrow.

It smacked its target perfectly, right in Tenkou's forehead. "HUGAH!" He screamed and fell over backwards from the surprise attack.

"Oh, looks like Sasaki won round two." Hana said with a smile.

"Sheesh…" Tenkou stood up again, only to be pummeled in the same spot by another one of the rubber projectiles. "OWGAHARA" Was the sound he made when that one hit him.

"And that's round three! I hereby declare Sasaki the winner of this best-of-three match!" Hana announced, dashed over to Sasaki and raised her hand. "Winner!"

"Have I been forgotten already?" Tenkou whined and went back to sit under the tree. "Well at least that's over."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Haha!" Hana grinned victoriously. "It's past midnight, and I won! You aren't getting any secrets out of me!"

The living room was packed with most of the members of Shugokage, save the Sand Trio who had been absent for much of the excitement. Although apparently Gaara had tortured a squirrel to clear his mind after he misunderstood Tenkou with Hana in just a shirt. He hadn't actually noticed that she was fully dressed, the innocent-minded little devil had looked away as soon as he stepped into the room.

"Damn!" Genka cursed and folded her arms in a show of annoyance. "There must be some way to find out…"

"Find out what?" Arashi, who was the only one who didn't know about the whole quest for information on Hana's past, asked curiously.

"Where Hana came from, secrets about her past, if she's an alien from outer space, that kind of thing." She answered grouchily.

"What's an alien from outer space…?" Arashi had never heard of such a thing. In fact, nobody had, since there are no alien conspiracies in the Naruto universe. "But you want to know about Hana?"

"Arashi!" Hana yelped helplessly. _Oh it's no use… he's gonna tell them._

"You know something, Arashi? Tell me, tell me!" Genka suddenly seemed like a teenager, jumping excitedly.

"Well, yeah." Arashi scratched his nonexistent head. "Hana is, if I remember right, Naruto's…"

"Naruto's…" Almost everyone in the room leaned in a little.

"Twin sister!" Arashi informed them in his normal, cheerful demeanor. "But if you really look at them… it's kind of obvious."

"Eeehhhh?" Hinata gasped. "Does that mean that Naruto is my cousin?"

"Hinata…" Arashi had a sweat-drop on his head. "Very, _very_ distant cousins. The family line split up about seven hundred years ago. I think you're fine."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**UGWALAHABAGALAFAH?! (A surprised gasp) Twin sister?! And Hinata and Naruto are cousins?! What an interesting turn of events this is!**

**Cheez: Well! I liked this chapter, mainly due to the comedy portion, and I think I have a new favorite character (Hana)... So, I've been thinking, what do you guys want me to talk about here? Any specific topic? I can't really get on a roll unless I, a) Have a topic, or b) Am in a conversation; Discuss.**

**Monkey: I'm glad ya liked it! And I think just commenting on the chapter itself is the way to go, but we'll let the reviewers decide that one. (I actually didn't understand half of what you said…)**

**Omake time! First we have translations!**

Hikazekiri Ice-Wind Cutter. Tenkou's ultimate technique form. Its ferocity depends heavily on the amount of water he is able to pull out of the air, so it is most powerful in a humid or rainy environment. The sword that it creates in his hand is not usable for combat, but is actually a catalyst used to power his Hikazekiri-based attacks, such as the one demonstrated in this chapter.

**And of course, the QA Session!**

Did you enjoy this break from all the craziness that's been happening in recent chapters?

What do you think of Hana?

Does anyone REALLY want a Naru/Sasame scene? It wouldn't be anything bad.

And what about this twist?

Oh, and did you guess right about Tenkou and Sasaki's bet? Methinks you didn't lol. (And yes, this is the way it was planned. I didn't change it just so that you would all be wrong.)


	47. Truth's White Lie

Well, in case you didn't notice, chapter 46 barely did anything for the actual plot. This chapter will also be extended to make up for lost time.

And sorry everyone, I have been experiencing a mild block of the writer kind. That SHOULD be over after this chapter is done.

**Chapter 47: Truth's White Lie XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Hana is... my sister?" The metaphorical switch which supplied power to Naruto's brain was definitely in the 'off' position. "how…?"

"Uh…" Hana scratched her chin awkwardly, staring at the ceiling as if it could provide the answers to the inevitable onslaught of questions. "When we were born... our mother was able to send my soul to the otherworld, to prevent me from dying."

"Why were you going to die?" Hinata asked this time.

"I was born with an illness." Hana responded.

"And how were you able to survive in that world?" Hinata was, once again, the inquisitor.

"Well, since I never acclimated to the solid principles of this dimension, I was able to learn about the other world's abstract foundation just like a baby learns about this world. Although that's only an expression, because that world doesn't actually have things like 'babies' or words like 'slowly'."

"Umm…" Genka's eyes were crossed in confusion. "What's this 'otherworld' that you guys are talking about?"

"It's a universe which exists next to this one. In that universe, there is little or no concept of time, distance, weight, light or dark. It's very hard to explain."

"Well… without time or distance, how can one exist?" Jiraiya questioned.

"People there asked me the same kind of things about your world." Hana was really getting tired of this already. "They couldn't understand how anything could be definite, like everything is in your world. Everything in that world was infinite, and time was eternity. There were actually many principles which that world comprised of which they find it hard to imagine a world without."

Ryoku was getting more and more interested, being the bearer of a monster which craved knowledge above all else. "So, which place is easier to understand, for you?"

"Well…" Hana closed her eyes to think. "That's kind of difficult to answer."

"Hey!" Tenkou yelled loudly. "It's almost one in the morning! Let's get some sleep. I think we can wait a few hours for her to tell us about all these things. So let's just calm down and write our questions down or something, and ask one at a time like civilized people _tomorrow_."

"He's right, people." Zan, who had only a vague idea of how surprising this revelation was, agreed. "We all need some sleep." He almost ordered.

Several people didn't wish to go to sleep yet, they wanted to know more. But still, the majority agreed with Tenkou as well – sleep and time to think were important. They all left slowly, grumbling, complaining or expressing desire to get a good night's sleep, depending on the person. (You can probably imagine who was doing the complaining.)

Eventually, all but Hana, Tenkou and Arashi were left gone. Hana collapsed into the comfy chair that Osanai always sat in, totally exhausted from a long – but fun – day, and this sudden stressful event. "So annoying…"

Tenkou sank into the soft yellow cushions of the sofa and propped his feet up on the coffee table, noting the surprising Western influence of this room's furnishings. "Arashi, you could have been a little more tactful with the way you phrased it…"

The blonde ghost laughed nervously and slowly faded through the wall, muttering his apologies before he disappeared altogether.

"What a day…" Tenkou groaned irritably, wondering how and why he ever got involved in the first place. "Is it really _that _important? I mean, do they really have to ask all those questions? It all seemed pretty straightforward when you told me about it the other day."

"How is it straightforward?" She gave him a puzzled look before letting her head fall back into the cushy headrest.

"It's simple. You're Naruto's sister, who was sent to someplace far away for your safety." He explained in plain English. "Almost everyone knows about Tenshi no Moui, right? So you don't even need to explain that part. What else is there that everyone is so curious about?"

"It's natural curiosity. People want to know _why_ things are how they are. They'll probably want to know more about why my mother sent me there, how she did it, where she is now, how I got back to this world, why I waited until now…"

"That's kind of rude." The water-adept sighed and leaned deeper into the sofa. "Asking questions about your mom and all that."

"What about Naruto?" She asked.

"I can understand why he would want to know, but I think he'll be smart enough to ask you alone."

Hana let out a long, anxious sigh. "You're… pretty smart." She managed to get out between yawns, then fell fast asleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The morning came all too soon for Hana. She woke up to someone poking her forehead, upon opening her eyes she saw that it was Genka. Standing over Genka was the silver-haired Shuuzen.

"Don't you have any sense of personal space?" The albino woman groaned and pulled Genka away by the hair. Genka mumbled like a thirteen-year-old girl who had just been separated from her cell phone while she was reprimanded by her childhood friend.

"Okay, Hana." Jiraiya was in professional mode, sitting on the sofa where Tenkou had been the night before. Arashi was 'sitting' next to him, also wearing a professional expression. This was not going to be an especially enjoyable experience for her, who hates answering questions. She looked around the room to see who was there. Naruto, Genka, Shuuzen, Jiraiya and Arashi were the only ones present. For a second, she wondered where Tenkou was, since Jiraiya was in his spot.

"Where is everyone?" she asked curiously.

"Tenkou said you didn't want everyone trying to assault you with questions, so everyone else is outside. Genka is here because… well because we couldn't make her leave, so we asked Shuuzen to keep her under control. Arashi knows you, I knew who you were from the beginning, and Naruto is your brother." Jiraiya explained.

Hana noticed that the Hyuuga was not present. "What about Hinata?"

"She said she knew enough right now, and that she didn't want to intrude." Arashi answered.

"So what do you want to know?" Hana prepared herself for the onslaught of questions.

Jiraiya inhaled and heaved a long sigh. "What do you want us to know?" he asked after a moment. "What do you think we need to know?"

Hana was taken aback. She hadn't expected such a response, but quickly chose to use this chance to avoid being interrogated. "I guess… there are only three things that are important right now. The first is how I came to be here. This is the short version; I asked Hinata to help me in my world, and we found a way for me to have a body." She told them, leaving out the fact that in order to get her body, she had to alter the very fabric of space and time.

"Second," she continued, "is that Naruto, being my brother, also has the potential to unlock Tenshi no Moui. But there's no real guarantee." She slowly turned to him, wishing to gauge his reaction. He looked surprised, even though he sort of already knew, and he kept silent.

"Third…" This time she leaned forward and stared directly at the wood panel floor. Before she spoke again, she took a chance to swallow. "Other than Naruto, Hinata and myself, there are two others who are of our generation with this family line. Hinata and I just found out that one of them already has, and he has somehow learned some of its deepest and most protected secrets. Uchiha-"

"Sasuke?!" Naruto nearly yelped. His mind simply refused to accept it. Such a power, in the hands of Sasuke, it was merely unthinkable.

"Yes." Hana nodded slowly.

**XXXXXX**

Hinata was waiting outside the door patiently when she heard Naruto's shout. Sighing, she wondered if there was any better way to tell him about all of this, or even if they really had to tell him at all. If there were any way, she would have saved him the trauma, but it was necessary that he be told.

Before she expected it to, the door opened. Hana slowly stepped out and a solemn air followed her. "I think he needs you more than me." She whispered toward Hinata as she passed. "I don't know how long it'll take for him to accept me."

Hinata stepped into the room and closed the door. Jiraiya and the others sat silently, but Naruto's breathing was loud and heavy. His face, she noticed, was masked with an almost unreadable expression – if not for his heavy breathing, others might not have even noticed his façade. "Naruto…" She whispered.

"Hinata…" He responded after a few seconds. "Jiraiya… everyone." He raised his head. Now, his expression was one of total, unyielding conviction. "Tomorrow... we start tomorrow."

"Start what?" Genka asked.

"The search…" He stated. "The search for the last Jinchuuriki, and the search for Sasuke."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

That afternoon, with an air of anticipation, nearly every person affiliated with the group was gathered on the bright green lawn outside the Shugokage building. Everyone wondered what was going to happen now, all they knew was that it was something important, and that Naruto was now officially in charge. Some whispered amongst themselves while others remained silent – but they all had the same thought in their hearts: _What happens now?_

Eventually, the two last members emerged from the old hotel building that was Shugokage's base of operations. A stern expression was what Jiraiya wore. But a feeling of absolute confidence seemed to radiate from the blonde.

"Shugokage is nearly complete." Jiraiya stated loudly, so that all could hear. "We are only missing one Jinchuuriki, and so the search begins."

"Arashi, Hana, Jiraiya and I were thinking about how we should do this." Naruto announced. "And we remembered a plan that we came up with a while ago, where we separate into teams to search the corners of the continent, or maybe the world. And so, we have decided that we will travel in groups of three or four people. These are the teams we have chosen:

**Team One: **Hinata, Sasaki and myself.

**Team Two: **Ryoku, Kentou and Shuuzen.

**Team Three: **Ryu, Risuki, Sasame and Zan.

**Team Four:** Hana, Tenkou and Genka.

**Team Five: **Gaara, Temari and Kankurou

"Osanai, your village needs you more than we do, and Arashi decided for himself to stay here." He concluded. "tomorrow, you can prepare. Anything you need will be provided, supplies, food, clothes. And then, the next morning…"

"We say goodbye…" Sasaki's eyes were wide with emotion. "Are you kidding? To our new friends, we just separate from them?"

"No, that's not right." Naruto's face was suddenly serious. "We will _not_ say 'goodbye'."

"We'll say 'I'll see you again soon'!" Hana exclaimed joyfully. "Because we're not leaving each other, we're only going away for a while."

"And that's why I want you all to make a promise with me, right now." Naruto's smile returned, if only faintly. "Make a promise with everyone, and make a promise with yourself, that until we are all reunited, until the very end, you will _live! _Now, who will make this promise?"

Silence ruled for two seconds, then a hand was raised. In a show very much unlike him, Gaara made a vow: "Until we have been reunited, until the very end, _I will not die."_

Then another hand raised, and Risuki's voice was heard saying "Until the fighting is over, and until we have won, I will live."

Only a second later, every hand was in the air, and every voice proclaimed: "Until we meet again, I will live."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

As afternoon passed and dusk fell upon the Waterfall village, the members of Shugokage met with their teams. Some of them knew each other very closely, whilst others barely knew a teammate's name.

Sasaki kind of knew Naruto and Hinata, but wasn't entirely sure she was the right one for their group. She didn't yet know of her important role in Hinata's training.

Kentou and Ryoku were best friends, and were more than happy to be grouped with each other. However, Kentou wasn't aware of Ryoku's and Shuuzen's secret past together. He wasn't expecting the inevitable struggles his teammates would endure after more than ten years apart.

Ryu and Risuki were obviously a perfect pair, and Zan on their team made perfect sense as well. However, nobody foresaw Naruto's decision to put Sasame on their team. As a matter of fact, nobody even thought she would be put on a team – she was originally only here as a contact for her family's money, which had stopped flowing due to investigation from other villages.

Hana and Tenkou were already confirmed as a good team, thanks to their antics during the previous few days. But everyone knew in their hearts that Genka would do a good job of screwing with their heads. Naruto's motives for putting her on their team were a total mystery.

Lastly, the most obvious group of all was the Sand Trio. Truth be told, nobody else wanted to be grouped with Gaara, who will never follow Ryoku's advice and acquire a girlfriend.

"Alright!" Hana cheered merrily. "I was hoping you'd be on my team, Tenkou!"

"Yeah!" He reflected her excitement for a moment. "But wait… weren't you one of the people who made the teams?"

"Oh yeah! I guess I was." She scratched her head in embarrassment. "I forgot."

"So why is Genka with us?" Tenkou asked curiously. "She was our enemy until yesterday, wasn't she?"

"To be honest, most of the teams have a 'central member', and each teammate was chosen because they could work well with that member." She began her explanation.

"So, I'm the central member for our team, aren't I?" Tenkou bragged haughtily, beating his chest with his fist. "I already know how you support me, but what about Genka?"

"Wrong! The central member of our group is me!" The blonde grinned excitedly. "You and I work well together, but we both need preparation or time for our techniques – you need water, and most of my stronger abilities require me to be in a certain position relative with my opponent. Genka will use her Genjutsu to make time for this."

"With that reasoning though… couldn't you also say that I'm the central member, and that you and Genka were chosen to support me?"

"Well, I guess that explanation could go either way, but in the end, I'm the more important than you."

"Well…" The poor, downtrodden boy decided to change the subject. "Why is Sasaki with Naruto and Hinata? I think she should have been on our group."

"We decided, for a lot of reasons, to make Hinata the central member. Sasaki is an archer, so she can teach Hinata to use the bow that she has when in Tenshi form." Hana explained dutifully, yet still with her usual air of enthusiasm. "But our team and theirs will actually be traveling together for a while, so don't worry; you can stay close to your girlfriend."

"G-Girlfriend?!" Tenkou jumped almost two feet into the air. "Who said she's m-my girlfriend?"

Hana tilted her head and appraised the situation carefully. "Well I already knew she's not _really_ your girlfriend, since you made fun of her for not having a boyfriend… But you two sure seem close, especially with that fight the other day. It seemed so much like a lovers' quarrel." She said, still wearing her happy smile. "Not that I'd know what a lovers' quarrel would look like…"

"What are you talking about? She was just taking revenge…" He knew that the subject needed to be changed again before the misunderstanding went in a more dangerous direction. "What about the adults? Ryoku, Shuuzen and Kentou?"

"Ryoku is the central member of that group." She absentmindedly forgot about teasing him about Sasaki because she was proud of her hand in selecting the teams. "Kentou is his best friend, and they know almost everything about each others' fighting style. Shuuzen and Ryoku grew up together, but I also think they were a bit more than friends in the past. Whenever they're together, they seem really close, but distant at the same time."

With perfect timing, Genka joined her two new teammates. "You're right, they were going to be married back before she and I changed our names. Not even I can understand him the way she can."

"How about Ryu, Risuki and Zan?" Tenkou continued.

"Ryu is the central member there." Hana said. "Risuki is a great support role for him, but we don't know much about Zan. Since those three are already kind of close, we decided to keep them together."

"Does each team have a healer?" Genka asked.

"Unfortunately, we only have two healing specialists; Hinata and Shuuzen. Other than that, all I know is that Ryu is a master at first aid. Since we'll be with Hinata's team, we should be okay. I wasn't sure about Gaara, but Naruto said not to worry."

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Hinata and Naruto were finally alone, for the first time in God only knew how long. The past few days had been a subtle mixture of enjoyment and anticipation, but they both knew that was about to end.

Hinata closed her eyes and leaned on her love's broad shoulders. Sighing quietly, she murmured "We'll be married after this is all over…"

Naruto could barely believe everything that had already happened in the past few years; from growing feelings for this very girl, to gathering eight of the nine Jinchuuriki. Even with the marriage proposal that he had given so many months ago, it had always seemed and felt like a trivial matter compared to the events of the world. But sometimes, he had decided, it was nice to worry about trivial matters such as this. "Yeah… soon, really soon." He responded quietly and gently gripped her left hand in his right.

They were sitting side-by-side under the Great Tree, quietly whispering soft words into the other's ear with nobody but the birds to interrupt them. "Did Hana tell you that we met the spirit of the Great Tree?" Hinata asked quietly.

"No, when was that?"

"We accidentally stumbled into another world a few days ago. There we met some of the Tenshi no Moui users of the past, who used their power to escape our world and enter their own, where time flows differently and they don't age. The spirit of the Tree is one of them, she told me that Hana and I are descendants of her, so I guess that means you are too."

"Our ancestor?" Naruto's mouth turned upward in a tiny smile.

"Ryu's master, the previous Mizukage, is also a Tenshi no Moui user of the past, although I don't quite understand his circumstances." Hinata admitted. "He asked me to help watch over Ryu, so I guess he met Risuki and Zan while they were gone."

"Weird…" Naruto chuckled lightly. "Was there anyone else?"

"There were about ten or fifteen people there. It seems that they travel between worlds, so I don't think they get bored." She continued her account. "I met a boy who looked a little younger than us, but he was an Akutenshi user. He taught me that just because someone uses the dark form, it doesn't mean they're evil. His brother was murdered, and he was able to activate the bloodline out of anger. I guess you can only activate it in a moment of stress, or a moment of need."

"I wonder when I'll activate it." Naruto mused. "Maybe sometime soon…"

Hinata nodded and sighed softly once again. Part of her wanted to ask what Naruto thought about Hana, but she knew better; she knew that Naruto still wasn't quite sure what to think. So instead of asking, she smiled a little and leaned in closer. "I love you."

"I love you too." Naruto smiled and gripped her hand a little tighter.

Hinata closed her eyes to enjoy the sounds surrounding them. Birds sang carelessly and flitted from branch to branch. The calm breeze of air circulating within the cavern made leaves rustle quietly above them. Even the tall grass around them was filled with the sounds of small animals moving around foraging for food, or maybe just playing hide-and-seek. It was at times like this in which she wondered; if she weren't a ninja, would she still have such a fond appreciation for such subtle noises? "It's so calm here." She stated after many seconds.

"Yeah…" Naruto agreed. "It's kinda nice… but I'm itching to get up and do something." He laughed quietly. He was never one who could appreciate a quiet moment.

Hinata rolled her eyes under closed eyelids and laughed at him. It was also at times like these when she remembered just how much she loved this boy. "You never change."

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Team Ryu, consisting of its namesake as well as Risuki and Zan, were gathered on the roof of the Shugokage building. Risuki had already taken command over the others, as was her character of course. "Alright." She lulled, "What's the plan?"

"I think Naruto will tell us more later." Ryu answered simply. "But I guess we're supposed to find the last Jinchuuriki."

"Well, we know _that_ already." Risuki returned crossly. "And I meant…"

Zan laughed when she trailed off. "You didn't really have anything to plan at all, did you?"

"Shaddup!" She commanded masterfully. Her minions obeyed. "Where do you think we should look?"

Ryu rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Your men at the old Sound outpost might know something. Or maybe you might find some other information there."

"That's a good idea, actually." Risuki agreed after a few seconds of thought.

"If she agreed… what's that mean?" Zan asked his fellow male.

"Uh… usually, if she likes an idea, then it's probably bad."

"Shaddup!" She growled gain. "I'm only agreeing because it's true; there are a few men from the research team stationed at the outpost I led, and they might help us. And who knows what kind of other information we might be able to get there if we ask the right questions. That brings us to our next order of business."

"Next order of business?" Ryu asked. "What would that be?"

The short-tempered girl pulled the familiar sword, short but otherwise identical to Ryu's, out of her backpack which rested on the ground. "This."

Neither of them were especially surprised when Ryu went silent, fixated on the object. Risuki had realized long ago that he acted quite out of character when it was involved. "That thing isn't important." He told them, then folded his arms in a gesture meant to say 'this conversation is over'.

"Hmm..." Zan moaned softly, in thought. "It seems rather important, if you ask me. The fact that you're not able to hold it only compounds the fact."

"You can't hold it? What's that supposed to mean?" Risuki asked. Ryu realized now that he never explained it to her.

Fortunately, or maybe not so, he didn't need to. Zan did it for him. "Ryu isn't able to hold it when it's out of its sheath. It has some power that he can't control, or maybe he's afraid of it."

"It's _nothing_." Ryu groaned angrily. "Just drop it."

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The next morning came far sooner than anyone expected it to. Before they realized it, everyone was gathered at the base of the waterfall outside the village, waiting for what would happen next. But while they waited, a few of them spoke with the others who they wouldn't see for a possibly very long time.

"Does it hurt, Risuki?" Hana asked, without any real warning. "The wound in your chest?"

"How do you know…?" Risuki whispered quietly. She didn't think Ryu or Zan would have told anyone, so she was surprised to hear Hana talking about it.

Hana smiled sweetly and chuckled. "I just know. Does it hurt?"

"A little, but it's healing fast. I think I'll be able to take the stitches out soon."

The blonde girl sighed slowly, looking at the other. "I've never felt pain, so I don't know what you feel like. But I know that you must be strong. Only strong people have to go through pain like that."

Hinata walked in at that moment and smiled as well. "I seem to remember Risuki saying something like that once. Do you remember, Risuki? When we were talking about Naruto?"

"It wasn't exactly like that, but that was when we were talking about how strong people like Naruto have to endure more pain… but maybe I was wrong."

"What do you mean?" Hana asked curiously.

Risuki smiled softly as she explained, making sure that Ryu wasn't nearby to see her acting anything other than abrasive first. "After seeing all this, maybe it works a little differently… Maybe the strong people like Naruto take the pain and sadness from the weaker ones."

"That's wrong too." Naruto interrupted with his copyright grin. "It's not strong people like me, Risuki. It's strong people like _us_… all of us."

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**One Week Earlier:**

"Another long day…" Sakura moaned quietly, slowly dragging her feet over the paved street which led toward her home. "I want to take a break… To get away from all this… stuff."

As she made her way home, the stench of blood gradually left her nose. Its replacement was gratefully received, no matter what it was. Today, a bakery seemed to be finishing a batch of cakes. The sweet scent was blissfully dreamlike in contrast with the unpleasant odor which preceded it.

Without any real command, her dragging feet picked up a bit more and carried her into the bakery. The owner politely greeted her, and was answered with a small smile. "What's that nice smell?" She asked curiously, letting her nose drown in it.

"We just pulled some chocolate treats out of the oven." The manager responded in his businesslike tone, holding up a large pastry. It looked rather delicious.

She left the shop a few minutes later, carrying guiltily a small bag of chocolate-flavored baked goods. Soon, she was once again on her way home, munching on a sweet treat from the bag.

"I wonder what Shugokage is…" She spoke unconsciously as she remembered the events which started this war, still eating the tasty morsel. She remembered the mysterious man's arrogant voice and self-righteous dialogue as if it was only yesterday.

As she walked, a person caught her eye. Long dark hair and white eyes were his defining features, making him easily recognizable. He caught the girl looking at him, so decided to address her. "Sakura? It's been a while." He greeted calmly. "Did I hear you say something about Shugokage?"

"Yeah…" Sakura replied quietly. "You've been gone for a while, do you know about what happened here? A single man from a group with the name 'Shugokage' came a few weeks ago and wiped out two armies."

"I heard the rumors." The Hyuuga prodigy shrugged mildly. "And I met the man who did it… I think."

At that time, Sakura couldn't even force herself to believe what she was hearing. "What…?"

"He's not important though… because of his allies." Neji's eyes narrowed slightly, hinting at the severity of what he was about to say. "His allies are…"

"No… not Naruto…" She shook her head violently, unable to conceive Naruto as a cold-hearted killer.

"He confirmed for me that Naruto is an important member of the organization… and furthermore…" The narrow white eyes closed completely, tightly. "Hinata-sama… and Jiraiya-sama… they're all-"

"Take me there." The interruption was unlike her; sudden and abrasive. "I have to go there."

Almost a minute of silence, eerie and overwhelming, followed. Finally, a grin cracked on Neji's face. "I knew you would say that."

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**Things are coming to an end as Neji and Sakura leave with new conviction, Naruto's team separates and the battles grow in intensity with each passing day. And with any luck, this will return to being weekly.**

What do you think of Hana's development so far? She, Zan, Sasame and Tenkou will all go through more heavy development soon, as well as a few others.

How do you like the mood shift near the end of the chapter?

Should I make the next few chapters serious, happy, exciting, or what? (At the moment, I'm leaning toward a mix of serious and exciting, but your opinion matters a lot)

Are you looking forward to the immanent end of this story? That's right, it's coming soon. Maybe as little as seven chapters away!

**REVIEW!**


	48. Guild Wars: Part 1

Sorry it's so short, everyone. Seriously, this is the shortest chapter I've ever written for this story. But don't worry, I'll make up for it with faster updates (if all goes according to plan).

**Chapter 48: Guild Wars - Part One XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A few days into their short journey, Neji decided it was time to tell Sakura everything he knew. Everything about Naruto and Jiraiya, Shugokage, the survival of Waterfall and its leader, and his own reasons for hunting down the blonde runaway would be revealed. "Waterfall village somehow survived our attack, despite being flattened by a falling mountain." He began explaining over a campfire. Night had fallen on the sixth day of their trip, so they had set up. They had the luxury of building the fire simply because there was no warfare being waged in Whirlpool Country.

Sakura sighed heavily while she took a bite out of her last piece of chocolate bread. Even if she hadn't been present at the attack against Waterfall, she had heard plenty about it. From what she heard, it was difficult to imagine a village rebuilding from such destruction. "So you think Naruto is still there?"

The Hyuuga responded quietly, "I spoke with Jiraiya the last time I was there, he told me that Naruto and Hinata are fighting with a noble cause, but I still don't understand what their connection is with Shugokage."

"Maybe…" Sakura ventured, "Shugokage might not be what we think it is. What if that man was acting without permission." She guessed correctly. It was true that Ryoku, who decimated Konoha's and Stone's armies, was acting without consulting anyone else within the group. He wasn't even part of it when he made his move.

"It's possible." Neji admitted.

Sakura folded her arms and thought for a moment, putting together the pieces of what Neji had just told her. "So Naruto is connected to Shugokage, Hinata and Jiraiya are on his side, whichever side that is, and they've been living in Waterfall for the past who-knows-how-long? So why are you looking for Naruto?"

Sighing, Neji leaned back against the tree which he sat by. "I have a mission to find him…" He half-explained, leaving out the most crucial part – he wasn't sure Sakura would appreciate it if he said he needed to kill the blonde ninja.

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Ryu, Risuki, Sasame and Zan – or Team Ryu – were headed back to familiar territory. Their current destination was the Sound base in Tea Country. It had once been Risuki's stomping ground, and Ryu's old hideout. Even Sasame knew the area because her hometown was only minutes away at a good run.

The group travelled by night and slept by day, as decreed by Risuki. She wanted to be careful, especially while they were close to her own village's outpost. The plan was to find someone among her men to give them information, but it was certainly known by her old subordinates that she had defected. To top it off; she was probably even in the Bingo Book by now, but they were sure that at least one of them would lend a helping hand.

"This place is pretty out-of-the-way." Zan observed as they moved through the dark forest under the cover of night. "Why did Orochimaru put anyone way out here?"

"I don't know the original reason why, but I always just guessed it was because this place is close to Sound, and there's a clan of ninjas living nearby. Even if they aren't associated with any village, it's still a good idea to keep an eye on them. I figured the base's presence just fulfilled two purposes without wasting manpower or something."

Sasame, who had been silent as usual on the whole trip, spoke up, "You're right, but you're wrong at the same time. The base was originally set up to be a laboratory."

"Oh yeah…" Risuki looked over in Sasame's direction, remembering the redhead's lineage. "You're a member of that clan, aren't you? Do you know something about the base?"

Sasame replied with a shallow nod. She didn't wish to go into detail. In fact, she didn't even want to talk about this at all. The memories - even years old - were still too fresh in her mind. "The laboratory's purpose was to study my family's secret techniques."

Risuki was the only one who understood Sasame's solemn attitude, while the boys only raised eyebrows in confusion. "So the Fuuma clan has some techniques advanced enough for Orochimaru to be interested in? That's impressive." Zan, who was fairly knowledgeable about most subjects, complimented. "What kind of techniques does your family have? Do you know any?"

"They're all body-manipulation techniques, controlling your own organs or your enemy's." She answered, then left the second question open - not desiring to follow the line of conversation any further.

"Interesting…" he commented, becoming more and more intrigued as the continued through the darkness.

"Zan… there's something you don't understand." Risuki butted in before his insensitivity could continue. "Don't you know Sound's method of studying something?"

Almost immediately, realization sparked in the boy's eyes. Softly, he whispered, "They tear it apart… and try to put it back together…" The method was actually even more unpleasant than it sounded. Gradually, that spark of realization grew into a light of understanding. "Body-control techniques? They…"

He stopped speaking, knowing finally that this subject was taboo from that point on. Out of the conversation, he gained a little knowledge, a little wisdom and a new respect for the quiet redhead.

Only a few seconds after silence fell upon them, Risuki stopped in her tracks and looked around suspiciously. Her green eyes darted from trees to leaf piles, searching for something. "Who's there?" She sternly asked the shadows.

An eerie voice echoed out from the forest, taunting her. "You took this long? I don't think this is going to take very long, and I had such high expectations of you…" One figure melted from the trees, his face hidden behind a black mask.

It was clear that he had no intention to leave the group alive.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Hana's team and Naruto's team were still traveling together without any real direction. For the most part, they simply trained and camped.

Sasaki had been tasked with teaching Hinata the finer details of archery, so the blue-eyed Hyuuga could master her chakra bow which she received upon unlocking her sleeping bloodline. Tenkou was dragged into Naruto's practice sparring matches. Hana pretty much watched with her normal grin and commented when she felt it was appropriate.

Now she sat high in a tree, watching a family of small birds as she balanced on a branch. She had decided to let the others practice without her audience that day, and to give herself some time to ponder recent events. Little did she know, she wouldn't be given much time to think.

"Hana?" She heard a familiar boy calling through the leafless branches, from the ground below. "So this is where you've been hiding, eh?"

"Ten'ou?" She called back down. By now, she realized that the nickname annoyed him – all the more reason to use it of course. "Aren't you supposed to be training with Naruto?"

Tenkou shrugged off the nickname, as he was slowly getting used to it... very slowly. "Naruto and Hinata are training together today, so Sasaki and I thought we'd come find you."

"Where is she?" Hana called down, since she didn't see Sasaki on the ground with him.

"Still looking for you, I guess. We split up a while ago. Come down here and we'll find her together." He said with a shrug and a beckoning gesture.

With a smile, Hana waved goodbye to the bird family with and made her way to the ground. Taking care to find a safe route covering many branches, she didn't take the final leap to the ground until her feet were almost at eye level. It took a rather long time to finally reach the ground. "Okay, let's go!" she cheered upon reaching the ground.

"You're as happy as ever." The blue boy chuckled and shook his head. "But you sure took your sweet time getting down from there. You're a ninja, aren't you? Why didn't you take a faster way, like just jumping?"

As she walked beside him, Hana giggled as her eyes flitted around nervously. "Because I'm afraid of heights. I really hate the idea of falling."

Right there, Tenkou decided that it was official: he would never understand girls – or maybe just this one. Upon second thought, he figured it probably _was_ just Hana who was so confusing. "You're a strange one, you know that?"

Tenkou decided that it was official: he would never understand the way this girl's brain operated. "I could have caught you if you fell or something." He said as he rolled his eyes in frustration from the crazy blonde. _Why and how did I get involved with her? _He wondered silently, as he did every day.

"I wouldn't need you to catch me," Hana argued avidly, "because I take a safe way down!"

"That's the point…" The blue boy closed his eyes now, still rolling them behind his eyelids of course. "I guess it doesn't matter."

She chuckled at her victory, but the celebration was short-lived. "Who's that?" She asked, pointing forward.

Tenkou realized at that point that someone had taken advantage of their conversation and snuck up on them. His muscles tensed reflexively, his body sensing danger that his logic had yet to register. "I don't know…" He muttered quietly as he instinctively stepped in front of the girl. "Who are you?"

"I've been sent to take care of you." A mysterious man - tall and thin, with dark clothes and even darker hair and eyes - answered with an arrogant and uncaring expression. He seemed to pay more attention to a plant growing on the ground than he did their target. "It's strange for them to bloom so early in the year…" He muttered, talking about the white flower which grew from the object of his attention.

"Maybe it's a winter bloomer." Tenkou humored the man. "So who sent you to 'take care' of m-"

"Oh, sorry. I said something confusing." He chuckled lightly, still with the arrogant expression on his face. Without a word, his long, skinny leg moved forward. The small flower was easily crushed under his boot. "Get it now, kid?"

The blue 'mage', as he called himself, stared at the man's right foot. Slowly, understanding seeped through his skull. Once he realized the situation, adrenalin quickly took over. _He's here for her!_ "Run, Hana!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

While they were supposed to be training, Naruto and Hinata had decided to take a break for a day. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that Hinata had decided to take a break, and somehow managed to get the hardheaded blonde to join her. Slowly, they walked together along a lightly beaten path. Even more than halfway through winter, there were still leaves of autumn covering the dirt road; a hint at how little this area had been used.

Wildlife was somewhat sparse, even in the heavily wooded area. Neither of them really knew why, or even made note of the fact that, animals seemed few and far between. They were, of course, too focused on each other in this rare moment alone in the middle of the towering trees.

It seemed that they had always been traveling through woods and forests lately, but that was understandable; they were on the run from pretty much everyone on the continent. Even other missing-nins like themselves were probably enemies. Traveling through the woods is one of the simplest, yet most effective strategies, to stay away from prying eyes.

"I'm lost…" Naruto admitted quietly after a little while.

Hinata, confused, responded hesitantly, "We're only a few minutes away from where we camped last night."

"Not that." He laughed lightly, surprised that the Hyuuga girl had misunderstood – a somehow refreshing occurrence. "I don't know where to go to find the last Jinchuuriki. I don't even know if he or she is still alive."

Stopping to look through the leafless branches at the blue, fairly cloudy sky, Hinata smiled. It was a small grin, barely visible to all but those who knew her well. Naruto was one of those few who could make it out from her usual expression. "I think we'll find them. If we're persistent and thorough, then I'm sure we will."

The words were a comforting reassurance, making the boy show a smile much like hers; small and barely noticeable, but one that he knew she could clearly see. "I guess you're right…"

After a few seconds of comfortable silence, the boy's loving companion decided to bring up a subject which she expected to be a bit touchy. "You and Hana don't talk very much."

Surprisingly, Naruto had almost no visible reaction. "I guess not." He shrugged. "It's not like I've known her my whole life or anything."

"But, as her brother, you should at least be there for her if she needs you. Just talk to her, give some emotional support." Hinata argued.

"Am I _really_ an 'emotional support' kind of person?" The blonde challenged with a chuckle. "Besides, it looks like she's pretty close with Tenkou. He should be better at that than me."

The girl sighed in defeat. She knew that Hana confided in Tenkou, and that the blue boy was probably much better at supporting her than Naruto would ever be. "I guess you're right… but at least try to talk to her; she is your sister after all."

"I guess so…" He groaned. In the back of his head, he felt an odd sensation – a familiar sensation. "Hey, Hinata… I don't think we're alone. There's someone watching us." He informed her in a whisper. "Keep walking like normal."

They didn't walk more than four steps when their pursuer made her move. Quickly and silently, a woman with bright red hair made a stabbing attempt at Naruto's back. The attack was dodged by a quick, albeit clumsy, leap forward on the defender's part. Almost as quickly as she appeared, the female assassin vanished into the heavy bushes.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Naruto mumbled even while his hand slipped out a kunai from his thigh holster. "Get ready for trouble."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Almost one week had passed since Naruto's band of peacemakers had left Waterfall, split into five teams to search out the final Jinchuuriki. Everyone was gone but Osanai, Arashi and Jiraiya. But that didn't mean that they didn't get a taste of action. In fact, Osanai's next fight was just about to begin.

"Oh? We have a familiar face here, don't we?" Osanai smiled confidently as he stared down at the two intruders who stood near the base of the waterfall. From his higher vantage point on the wet rocks, he called at them. "It's been a while, Neji. Who's your girlfriend?"

"You're… the one Kakashi fought." Neji observed while handily ignoring the 'girlfriend' comment. "You were ill the last time we met."

"Yeah, I do feel better. Thanks for asking." Osanai taunted proudly. "So what do you want?"

Sakura, who left Konoha with Neji to search for Naruto, knew that this was already going nowhere. "You already know what we want." She stated firmly. Neji had explained everything to her about Waterfall's feigned destruction, and that the village had miraculously recuperated, and that he had met up with Jiraiya at this spot a few weeks earlier. Because of that, she knew enough not to be surprised to see Osanai standing before her.

Osanai turned to get a better look at her. "You're looking for Naruto, eh? I don't know where he is though, so you came to the wrong place – the _really_ wrong place."

"What's so bad about this place?" Neji mused, a sinking feeling settling in his stomach.

"I can't let anybody get in Naruto's way, so that means that the problem with this place is…" He frowned slightly and shook his head. "You won't leave this place alive."

Neji and Sakura were in battle positions almost an instant after the challenge was made, and they made it just in time. Not half a second after Neji was in his proper Jyuuken stance, Osanai was on the ground and rushing for the first strike.

Sakura leapt for high ground and observed the fight, waiting for the proper moment to launch her assault. As she watched Osanai's dash for the first-hit advantage, her extended senses detected a pair of guards hidden behind the waterfall. _Even if we beat this guy, they'll try to ambush us?_

Neji parried Osanai's palm thrust and tried to follow through with a chakra burst from his own palm. Unfortunately, the attack merely passed through the air in front of him. Osa was in the air, flipping over and behind Neji.

The Hyuuga spun on his toes to face the Hero of Waterfall Village. As the boy landed on his own feet, he chanted "Kage Bakuha" and clapped his hands loudly. A considerable amount of chakra blew Neji off his feet for a split second, which Osa was happy to take advantage of.

"Kage Katana!" Osanai shouted and quickly swung his hand downward, emanating a nearly invisible blade of chakra from the tips of his fingers. The knife-like attack sped forward at impressive speed.

Neji raised his arms to block, unable to dodge while in the air. The blade cleanly sliced part of his shirt, and left a clean line of blood on his arms, chest and the left side of his face. Without flinching, he struggled to regain his balance so he could land on his feet. But before he could find his center of gravity, Osanai moved again.

Osanai leapt forward at his opponent with a confident glint in his eyes. He thrust his palm onto Neji's chest and said "Kage Assaiki!"

The Hyuuga Jounin's chest felt like a boulder had just landed on top of it, crushing his heart and squeezing all the air out of his lungs. Still, he miraculously landed on his feet and began his customary spin defense. "Kaiten!" He shouted in a raspy voice, barely able to exhale for a moment after that last attack.

The chakra spin defense blew Osanai away, sending the boy into a spin as well. Unlike Neji, he didn't manage to land on his feet, instead he dropped to one knee and struggled to get up fast enough to defend against Neji's next move.

"Jyuuken!" Neji shouted mildly, still waiting for his lungs to fill up again. Somehow, the process was moving somewhat slowly. "Hakke Rokujyuuyonshou!"

His hands moved forward at Osanai with extreme precision and fluidity, the attack being almost second nature to Neji.

"Chakra Tama!" Osanai cried suddenly, emitting a sphere of chakra around him, blocking enough of Neji's attack to let Osanai backflip away. Without the Hero Water, his defensive technique wasn't even one hundredth of its full power, but it was still useful in split-second decisions like that.

Neji choked lightly as the pressure finally disappeared from his lungs. _Kakashi beat this guy last time, and he was even using the Hero Water then! How is he able to hold his own against me without his power-up? _Neji growled internally, trying to figure out the problem.

"You're nothing compared to Sharingan no Kakashi." Osanai teased his opponent smartly, with a grin of arrogance plastered to his mouth. "It looks like that girl is still trying to figure out my weakness. She'd be a lot more useful if you both came at me two-on-one, then you might be able to touch me."

"I'll touch you just fine on my own." Neji growled, growing more and more annoyed by this arrogant boy's attitude.

"This fight is almost over, my friend." Osa stated boldly. "Just wait and see."

"No…" The boys heard Sakura's voice from her high ground, confident and strong. "I found your weak point, so it's just begun."

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**Oh noes! Almost all of Shugokage has been confronted by mysterious enemies. Are they in cahoots? And if so, who is the one behind the attack, and what motivated it? And if they aren't involved with each other, then why are they so coordinated? Who knows…? And on top of all that, Osanai is taking on Sakura and Neji at the same time!**

**Anyway, I think I will stop my tradition of asking questions at the end of chapters. The story is pretty much planned out to the end, and has been for a long time. You may have noticed that my questions stopped being proactive, and became sort of "did you like this?" questions. Well… REVIEW!**

**AND I MEAN IT! I may not be asking questions anymore, but I still want your opinions!!!!!**

**Cheez: **So, I haven't been talking much lately (Mainly because Darth hasn't been updating lately...) But I have no idea what to talk about... So I will go ahead and tell day-to-day life stories of mine. Starting; Wash your shrooms. Realizing you just ate cowshit off of a stem really messes up your day.

**DarthMonkey: **Well…. Ok…..

**REVIEW!**


	49. Consuming Darkness, GW:2

"Run, Hana!!" Tenkou shouted at a sudden realization. "He's here for you!"

Hana, the girl without a past, and Tenkou, the blue-haired mage from lands afar, were confronted by an arrogant, tall and slender man. His clothes seemed like they had at one point been in pristine condition, although it must have been long ago. His dark cloak was clean, but frayed at the edges and torn here and there. The shroud which covered his head and shoulders was probably supposed to match the cloak, but was even more heavily frayed and parts of it were beginning to lose their color. The grey, discolored edges of his once-dark cloak now matched his grey, piercing eyes as he peered across the leaf-covered path at the two teens.

"Ten'ou, I can take care of myself…" Hana complained from behind. "You don't have to jump in front of me like that."

The protective mage brought his voice down to a whisper. "I have a bad feeling about this… be careful." _There's something familiar about this guy… Something seems off. _He thought to himself as he appraised his new opponent.

The assassin's sharp, pointed face scrunched up a little as he smiled proudly, accentuating the jaggedness of his cheeks and eyebrows. "Well, now. The Master certainly didn't tell me there would be another one. Young man, who might you be?" The man asked curiously, his young-sounding, smooth voice completely unfitting of his rough appearance.

"Arashi Tenkou…" He introduced himself carefully and slowly, fruitlessly trying to see what the man's dark cloak kept secret, because surely this seemingly unarmed man had some sort of weapon hidden within those wraps.

A smooth chuckle, laden with a hint of surprise, emanated from him. "Arashi? Now, that truly is interesting… Would you happen to be a mage?" He asked calmly, smiling just a little wider, distorting his face just a little more. The boy's face tightened upon hearing the question, and therefore an answer was unnecessary. "I see…" The man chuckled again. "This will be interesting, my young friend. I'm afraid you won't be getting a chance to show me those impressive Storm Mage powers of yours."

"What…" Tenkou's eyes widened slowly as a light of realization fell upon him. "are you talking about?"

"You haven't realized it yet? The way I dress, the color of my eyes…" In a slow and deliberate motion, the enemy slipped his hand into his pocket. Just as slowly, he pulled it out, this time with a small item clutched tightly in his bony fist.

The small light of realization gradually grew in intensity. "It can't be… one of _them_?"

"My name is Yami Itazuki. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, **Hokkyokuyou** no Tenkou. I never figured I would find someone like you so far from the homeland."

A swift chill swept Tenkou's entire body. _We have to get out of here!_ He screamed internally, frantically searching his memory for anything nearby that could facilitate an escape.

"Tenkou…" Hana muttered quietly, slowly beginning to grasp his fear. "It's okay… there are two of us." She tried her best to encourage him, even without knowing quite what was going on. Fortunately, his heavy breathing calmed as he began to think more rationally.

"You're right… We can probably do this." He whispered back. "If it's both of us then…"

Itazuki slowly opened his hand, still held in front of him. "I doubt that."

As if time were in slow motion, Tenkou watched as a small trinket fell from the man's hand, a large silver coin. The item's fall gradually slowed to a halt about a foot from the hand that dropped it, hovering in midair. _No… it can't be…_

"Tenkou, you have already been defeated." Itazuki stated, just as arrogantly as he had done everything up to that point. "You know that you have no chance to survive."

"What…" Hana, who understood little about the circumstances, put her hand on Tenkou's shoulder. "What's he talking about?"

"My magic…" The boy muttered, once again his voice trembled with fear. Itazuki, who loved for people to understand his power, gladly allowed Tenkou that extra time to tell Hana just what kind of trouble they were in. "Hana… there are only two things in the world that can strike fear into almost any mage's heart…"

The blonde girl's eyes grew slowly as she took in the new information. "What are they?"

"Dark Mages… and 'spell-steal' coins." He whispered and watched the dark man's eyebrow raise a millimeter or two. "Yami Itazuki is a Dark Mage… and that thing is a spell-steal coin. The second he released it, my magic was sealed."

"Only the greatest of Dark Mages are able to create a spell-steal coin. And its power doesn't stop at sealing his magic… you see, the coin earns its name through a special property." Slowly, with intentional drama, a sword of ice formed in his right hand. "What a rare magical style, and one as young as you is already able to use Hikazekiri? I must admit… I _am_ impressed."

"That's… that's your sword." Hana was beginning to recognize exactly what Tenkou was afraid of. "He seals a mage's magic… and then…"

"He uses their very own magic to kill them, as they stand helpless without any power at all." He nodded slowly. "It's a terrifying experience for us… to be without our magic, even for a few seconds – therefore, the Dark Mages take our power and feast on our fear. Right now, this guy has every skill that I have, and all the power that I have."

Itazuki's proud smile faded as a more serious, battle-ready look appeared on his face. He pulled his right hand back, then with a light grunt he thrust the ice sword at Tenkou, who was still unable to command his body to move away. "Hikazekiri… Hikase." He whispered calmly. The sword split into two pieces, each wrapping around one of the boy's wrists. The new shackles continued to move, dragging Tenkou and embedding themselves into a tree. He was effectively powerless, with both hands fastened above his head to a tree trunk thicker than he was tall.

"Tenkou!" Hana called back in the direction he had been dragged. _I don't like this!_ She yelled inside her head as she turned back toward their assailant. "Release him." She commanded, showing an entirely new demeanor; a burning passion unlike her usual airy personality.

"Now, now… to release a prize like him sounds quite stupid. He's very famous where we come from; the heir to the strongest family of the Storm Mages of the South. We in the Wandering Dark Mage clan like to… collect… the souls of people like him." The dark man scratched his head and shrugged.

"I said let him go!" She ordered with more zeal than the first time.

Itazuki sighed, obviously disgruntled. "Fine… I suppose I should grant you a last wish anyway. I will release him and return his powers after killing you."

"No!!" Tenkou screamed back from his restraints. "Hana… I can't let you make agree to that. Just fight him, or just run away and don't worry about me. I don't care what you do, just don't make any deals for my sake!"

"Well, you were an interesting pair for a while… but I'm bored now." The Dark Mage's tone conveyed the same sense of boredom as his words. "Just let me kill you." With that, he reached into his cloak once more. When he removed his hand, a sword which seemed too long to fit under his clothes was revealed. The air around the blade shimmered with some mystifying force, and it gave off a dark presence which sent a chill down Hana's spine. "Time to die, little girl."

_I have to use it…_ She almost unwillingly decided. _I need to save Tenkou, so I have to release my Tenshi form, even if it means fighting for the very first time._

"Even if you just stand there, I won't play nice." Itazuki charged at Hana as she held still, drawing back the long, thin blade of his rapier in preparation to stab through her chest. At the last possible second, he stopped in his tracks, stepped backwards and smiled. "If I continued further… you would have been able to kill me. You're about to unleash your Tenshi powers, aren't you?"

"Even if you know about my abilities, you don't stand a chance against me." She smiled confidently. "As a servant of Darkness, you will be destroyed by my light."

Tenkou watched and listened in confusion as these events unfolded in front of him. _She… can't be serious…_ Shaking his head vigorously, he groaned in disbelief as a deep frown appeared on his face. _She doesn't understand his power. Even Holy Mages are afraid of him!_ But even as he shouted inwardly, a small glimmer of hope sprouted somewhere in his heart, so he continued to watch – hoping to all heavens that she could pull off something amazing.

As he watched, Hana leapt forward at her opponent. As explosions of silvery-white chakra erupted wherever her feet made contact with the ground, Tenkou somehow already understood that her Tenshi power was much more than what he had seen Hinata use before. When Hana's open palm, thrust with intense force, made contact with Itazuki's chest, she dug her feet into the ground for one more push forward.

Both Hana and Itazuki disappeared from sight, vanishing in a bright, white light, and forcing Tenkou to close his eyes or risk possible blindness. When he opened his eyes again, he searched around his field of vision for either of the two combatants. It only took an instant for him to spot Hana, floating above the ground with a silver aura surrounding her. Her clothes had changed, just like Hinata's had, but the new outfit was entirely different than the one he was familiar with. Instead of white fabric which showed too much skin and fit tightly like Hinata's, Hana's Tenshi 'costume' was a simple white dress with short sleeves and a hem just above her knees.

He could only stare in unbelief, the small glimmer of hope growing at the same time. There was only one comprehensible thing which flowed through his mind. _She's… incredible…_

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In a leaf-blanketed clearing, Naruto and Hinata stood hack-to-back - each holding a knife in their hand. The purpose of their defensive position was simple; a fiery-haired female assassin lurked somewhere in the bushes which surrounded them. They had quite simply fallen into a trap, and were already at a serious disadvantage.

Naruto's sense of presence, as the Kyuubi had called it, told him exactly where their attacker was. With a flick of his wrist, the kunai he held went flying toward her head. Their disadvantage almost disappeared with that one motion and the playing field leveled tremendously. As expected, the girl's surprise caused hesitation, but her honed reflexes took her safely out of the projectile's path.

With no more point in hiding, she leapt high into the air and landed directly in front of Naruto. "Nice throw." She grunted sarcastically at him, obviously not impressed.

Hinata quickly spun around to face their enemy. When their attacker was in view, she gasped lightly; it was only a young girl, probably no older than thirteen years old.

"Geez, you guys already annoy me." The young girl rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Seriously, just die now." With those harsh words, she pulled out a short dagger, five or six inches long, and dashed onward at Naruto and Hinata. They were almost unable to evade the unexpectedly skillful slashes, drawing blood from Naruto's face and Hinata's upper arm.

"She's good…" Naruto grunted as he wiped some of the red liquid off his cheek. "We have to overpower her."

Hinata shook her head sadly. "But she's so young…"

"That's the kind of attitude I hate the most! You two think that you're so great, just because you're older!?" The girl yelled harshly as an almost sad anger began to appear on her face. "He picked me personally to take her out, so shut up and fight!"

"Who picked you, kid?" Naruto stood up a bit straighter and leered her suspiciously.

"Uchiha-sama did! And if Uchiha-sama says I'm strong enough, then you better take me seriously." She yelled.

Sighing, Naruto closed his eyes. "Sasuke told you to kill Hinata, eh? Did he say anything about me?"

The young girl stopped her rant for a moment to think back. As if trying to remember notes she had taken for a big test, her face contorted a little as she tried to remember. "Uhhh…."

_Is this girl for real? _Hinata asked herself. _She actually seems similar to a certain other ninja…_

"I remember now!" She shouted with moderate excitement. "He said 'That blonde man…' uhhh… oh yeah… it was kinda long. 'That blonde man is dangerous; make sure he doesn't get involved. If he enters the fight…' oh…" Her eye twitched once or twice when she trailed off.

"What if I enter the fight…?" Naruto asked, almost laughing at her expression.

"If I fight you, the mission will surely be a failure." She chuckled lightly and scratched her face. "I forgot about that part."

"What kind of assassin is this…" Naruto whispered under his breath. "Do people like her really exist?"

"You're one to talk…" Hinata answered vaguely. Turning back to the young wannabe assassin, she huffed and rolled her eyes under their lids. "We're in a nice mood, so we'll let you go."

"What are you talking about?" The girl laughed in an entertained manner. "It looks like I was underestimated. The mission was a complete success. The dagger is poisoned. You'll both die within two minutes."

"I guess that's where the similarities end…" Hinata said with an annoyed groan.

Naruto smiled ironically. "If I were you, I'd run away as fast as you can, little girl."

"Why should I? Like I said, you'll be dead in less than two minutes. You'll never be able to kill me in that time."

"Ehh!?" Naruto groaned and jumped at the young ninja. "I'll make you eat those words!"

The look on her face was one of obvious surprise. "Hey! You're not supposed to do that!" She yelled as she dodged a blow, showing more of her unexpected skill.

"What is Sasuke thinking, sending newbies like her at us?" Naruto moaned in aggravation as he continued to chase her, making himself a distraction while Hinata went in for the grab.

As if the air itself had snatched her, she stopped above the ground, plainly baffled by the circumstances. To answer her unspoken questions, Hinata appeared with her arms wrapped around the girl, holding both arms tightly and keeping the weapon away from her own. "I can't believe he sent you to kill us…"

"Well, actually…" A pout appeared on her face, definitely practiced considering how pitiful it was. "I came with another guy, but he went to kill the other girl. I got bored to I decided to take care of you so we could go back home faster."

"That worked out well, didn't it?" Naruto dropped to sit on the ground and rolled his eyes. "I don't think we really need to worry about Hana. She has Tenshi no Moui _and_ she's with Tenkou and Sasaki."

"I agree." Hinata, well, agreed. "Your friend is probably dead by now."

"Itazuki? Haha, that's impossible. He can't be killed by any normal means. He's one of Uchiha-sama's favorite lackeys because he can resurrect himself using souls he gathered from his previous victims."

Naruto wasn't listening. His eyes were closed as he concentrated, and after a few seconds he reported what he sensed. "All of our friends are still alive, I can sense all of them. But your friend is also alive. I don't think he'll be coming to save you any time soon, though."

"I keep telling you…"

"The poison?" Hinata asked in a mock cheerful tone. "That's not a threat, your poison may be fast-acting, but even without an antidote it's pretty easy to neutralize by activating certain glands in the body. I've already healed both of us."

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"So you're really using it, eh?" Itazuki cackled happily, as if he had already won. "Come on, then. Show me the power of Tenshi no Moui."

Hana's lips pursed, then grew into a weak smile. "I almost pity you… but I suppose there's nothing to pity." She immediately vanished. The leaves that she was standing on jumped up into the air, carried by the air pressure generated by her ultra-fast movements. With absolutely no sound, she instantly appeared behind her enemy, her hands glowing with silver light so bright that everything nearby looked black in comparison – only Hana herself seemed to retain her bright colors.

She drove her right hand at the man's back, planning to finish this before he could even blink. Unfortunately, her wish for a quick finish was unfulfilled; her hand was frozen in a block of ice before she could make contact. With an annoyed grunt, she leapt back to kick off a tree. Almost before her foot even touched the tree's bark, she had already thrust herself away with impossible speed.

From all directions, Tenkou and Itazuki could hear her voice. "So you're using my friend's powers against me? I won't get scared off by some trick like that."

"My, my… You get pretty intense in a fight." The man taunted with a carefree expression. "But I can tell you don't normally get flustered like this. Tenkou-kun thinks of you as a 'bubbly, happy person', but look at you now."

Hana's voice projection effect wore off as she appeared in a different place, closer to tree-bound Tenkou. "Is he trying to trick me?" She asked herself more than the locked-up mage. "Ten'ou, is that true?"

Tenkou sighed. _Even now, she uses the nickname?_ "Yeah… You see, some Dark Mages are able to read minds. I've heard that the most powerful can even pry deep into a person's heart. They can manipulate your emotions to gain advantage in battle."

"Well, you've gone and ruined the surprise." Itazuki rubbed his temples dramatically, as if he had a headache. "Well, since the beans have already been spilled… I should use them to my advantage. Right now, your greatest fear is… pain."

Hana's eyes widened in an instant. "So you're one of those powerful ones, huh? Well… how do you plan on taking advantage of that?"

"I have lots of spells that inflict instant pain, but those don't really do anything impressive. Since you've never felt it before… I should make your first time especially memorable – even if you won't live to experience it again."

"I don't think you'll get that chance…" She narrowed her eyes in concentration. "This will be the end of you…"

She dashed straight ahead with her hand extend in front of her. Tenkou could barely see it, but he was certain that something was forming in her hand. _So she has a weapon too? Hinata has a bow… I wonder what Hana has._

"Naive." Itazuki stated with another cackle. "I'll end this now."

Abruptly, the white aura surrounding Hana's body faded and the weapon which was materializing in her hand wisped away with the wind. She found herself totally powerless, rushing at a strong opponent with no way to stop herself. _No… _She thought as adrenalin started pumping through her veins, making time seem to slow down. The moment where she would inevitably feel pain for the first time seemed to taunt her through time. _How… _

"Impossible!!" Tenkou shouted in utter and complete astonishment.

Hana looked forward again and noticed what had shocked him so much. _I see… he had another Spell-Steal. So my chakra has been sealed._ _Now I'm kinda scared._

It only took half a second for Hana's powerless body to reach Itazuki, but to her and Tenkou it felt like an hour. When she was finally within range, she felt the man's large fist wrap around her right hand.

One instant later, her mind went utterly blank. The vision of his evil smirk blurred and all she could see was white, then even that faded. Nothing remained but pitch black. Nothing could be felt but the encompassing, overwhelming pain which exploded in her arm and overtook her entire body. Such a sensation was utterly unthinkable to her, until that point.

Tenkou watched, helpless as Itazuki crushed the bones in her hand and forearm with his dark magic. "Ha… Hana?" He whispered vainly.

Her face, for one second, was as blank as her mind – then it contorted in agony. After what felt like even another hour, she let out a noise from deep in her throat, almost a choking sound, and then….

"_**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH!!!!!!!"**_

She fell to her knees, trying to cradle her right arm, hoping that in some magical way the anguish would stop, that the throbbing which seemed to consume her entire body would miraculously disappear. By that point, only soft whimpers escaped. That was probably all she was able to get out her mouth.

"You evil little jackass…" Tenkou felt unexpectedly angry, ferociously angry. "Using your magic to amplify her pain? Tell me… how much did you multiply it by?"

"I multiplied her pain by ten, _and_ I disabled her body's pain blockers." Itazuki turned to him with a truly wicked smile. "I shattered her arm, a miserable experience as it is… but imagine all that pain tenfold! People like her, who are still virgins to pain, are always the most fun… and the tastiest." With that, he cackled and drew back his right leg. Driving his foot squarely into Hana's chest, he smiled joyfully and laughed almost like a small child as he watched her fall onto her back. "Wonderful!"

The younger magician growled in complete disgust, as if he were looking upon a rabid beast rather than a man. "You'll pay for that… I'll make sure of it."

Amused, the man turned and gave him a questioning look. "And by what means do you intend to make me pay? I've stolen your magic already, and I've even sealed her chakra."

"How do you have two of those coins anyway?" Tenkou asked angrily from his chains.

"Creating them is rather simple, a ritual in which you sacrifice a thousand souls. Not to gloat or anything, but I'm the only mage who successfully completed two of those rituals."

"I see, so you only have two of them, then?" Tenkou's angry scowl transformed gradually into a wicked grin. "Without those coins, I'm definitely stronger than you." Having said that, he pulled his arms forward, shattering the ice which bound him to the tree at his back. "I'm not limited to just magic. I just remembered that I have chakra too… get it?"

"I understand perfectly. One coin can only seal one type of power. But it seems you have forgotten that you are a mage; whatever chakra you may have is small and undeveloped."

"Don't be so sure. Up until just now, I had no idea how to use it. I guess I figured it out because of necessity, because you see…" He glared ferociously at the evil man. "You've _really _pissed me off."

"Fine, I shall harvest your soul first." Itazuki was growing annoyed by the persistent little brat. He once again raised his rapier, this time toward Tenkou. Jagged ice formed around the blade, then that ice became permeated by dark magic, turning the white-blue crystals pitch black.

Tenkou shouted at the top of his lungs, as loud as his throat could stand, pulled back his right hand and pushed it forward with all his might. He could definitely feel the huge amount of chakra burst from his palm and fingertips, it was an exhilarating feeling for a few seconds, sending a chill from his arm all through his body. After those first few seconds, however, he felt the searing pain of his underdeveloped chakra holes burning under the pressure. When the fiery sensation became too much to bear, he closed his hand and stopped the flow of chakra.

Itazuki stood in front of him in a half-frozen stupor. His feet were fastened tightly to the ground by blocks of bluish ice. Tenkou lifted his other hand and let one more blast of mysteriously icy chakra, not stopping until the pain became intolerable. When he was finished, the man was imprisoned in frozen water with icicles that projected ten feet past his body. The delicate trinkets which bound his magic and Hana's chakra were unquestionably destroyed, frozen and shattered by the onslaught of energy.

The noise of icicles cracking under their own weight dominated for the better part of a minute. When the noises faded, all he could hear was his own heavy breathing and Hana's pained whimpers. "The pain spell is still active?" He asked himself, then slowly, much more slowly than he wanted, made his way to the pitiful girl.

He kneeled over her as she lied on her back, eyes tightly shut. "I'm sorry this had to happen… but I guess it was inevitable, you would have experienced it eventually … but maybe I can help." He laid his hand ever so gently on her arm, which she pulled back reflexively, but still let him touch it.

After a second, she stopped sobbing and her eyes opened with a look of astonishment. The pain in her arm disappeared. The soreness from when Itazuki kicked her in the chest remained – but was tolerable. "I can't feel my arm." She quickly turned her head to find out what happened. To her great dismay, her arm still laid in an awkward position, obviously crushed on the inside – a rather disturbing sight.

"Pain is nothing more than an electrical signal which travels to your brain. Dark Mages are able to amplify that signal to increase your pain. But some Storm Mages can use our electrical magic to block the signals from certain parts of the body."

She groaned and placed her left hand over the center of her chest. "I kinda wish you could have made this stop hurting too…"

"Welll… I could have, but I didn't think you'd be very grateful."

"Eh? It really hurts though…" Hana sighed in mild annoyance. "I guess I'll live. Hinata can probably make my arm good as new, but that electrical stuff is pretty use-" her eyes widened abruptly as a gasp escaped her throat. "Look out!" She screamed in a shrill voice.

Crouched over Hana's arm, Tenkou didn't have nearly enough time to escape. In fact, he _barely_ had enough time to spin his head to see what was coming.

The last thing he saw was the silver blade of Itazuki's sword, just before everything went dark as it punctured his skull.

"That's what you get for your insolence!" The man yelled angrily. His dark clothes were soaked in cold water and his face was full of rage.

Having fallen just to the right, Tenkou was no longer in Hana's field of vision. Slowly, so slowly, she turned her head to see if he was okay. When she could see him, the picture spoke volumes; there was absolutely nothing there which could be called 'okay.' "Te…" She gasped sharply. "Ten'ou…?"

He was punctured from his forehead and all the way through the back. His head was pinned to the ground as if by a thumbtack, and a slow trickle of blood streamed down the side of his face. But the most horrible thing was the look in his eyes, wide open in shock, with blank pupils that stared to the sky.

"N… no…" She blinked once, twice, then even a third time in hopes that the vision would disappear. All the while, the dark mage feasted on her terror. But after a few seconds, the fear distorted, transformed into rage. Her blue eyes seemed to glow with a white flame as she slowly stood up. "You…"

The white aura returned, and she held out her left hand this time. The long weapon once again began to materialize, starting from her hand and extending in a long staff. The final result was a spear ten feet long, with a blade on its tip that resembled an angel's wings, infinitely white and pure.

"The pain in my arm is gone… but for making me feel the pain of losing my best friend." She snarled furiously as hatred filled her eyes, hatred and malice for the man that stood before her. "I'll make you feel a thousand times more agony than you could ever fathom." Her knuckles whitened as she tightly gripped the spear's long handle. With her right arm dangling uselessly, she was forced to depend on her left.

"I shall bathe you in darkness, insolent one." Itazuki's expression was similarly intense. Holding his hand toward Tenkou's head a beckoning gesture "Come to me, my blade of darkne-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Hana vanished from his vision and a sudden sensation overwhelmed his body. The intense feeling swept him and it felt as if every single cell in his body had been slashed by a jagged edge. He felt it on every inch of his skin and through every bone, an intense pain which he couldn't begin to describe; words didn't exist for such anguish. Even his throat and lungs burned with the intensity of the sun – to the point where he couldn't even breathe, much less scream in agony.

"Shadow can be washed away by the humble light of a flickering candle. " Hana's calm voice emanated from behind him. "Just as the sun itself clears the world of darkness every morning, you will be erased by my light."

When she turned around again, she saw the effect of her single attack: The man's body had been slashed countless times. Each slice through his skin had not actually cut into him, but was represented by a white line which glowed with a weak light, so much that his entire body was white. That light was what caused his anguish.

Hana closed her eyes and muttered a word; "Disappear." With that command, the glow of the white lines increased until all that could be seen was a blinding light, then even that light vanished and nothing remained.

Suddenly, the world around her became silent. As she looked around, everything was still and quiet; the birds which were singing happily a few minutes ago had fled in fear, as did all the other animals which she was sure had been there as well. The only things which she could see were trees, leaves and Tenkou, whose head was still skewered by the rapier, pinned to the earth by its long blade.

The lance in her hand disappeared, dissolving into the air. Her silver glow faded and her clothes returned to normal: Pink shorts and a tee shirt with a happy, colorful design. Slowly, she walked to his body and put her hand on the blade's hilt. She couldn't bring herself to look down at his face.

"Why did you do it?" She half-wished that he would respond, by some miracle. "You're more important than me. I don't have a past or a future, but you were destined for amazing things." Silence once again dominated the world around her.

That was when she heard it: The extremely faint sound of breathing.

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**Whew! Hana pwnz, Naruto and Hinata have a new straggler (or do they?) and Tenkou's got a sword in his brain.**

** I hope you enjoyed this nice long chapter after the last really short one! We'll get into Sakura and Neji's fight with Osanai in the next chappy, then a little side-story stuff and then… well you'll just have to wait and see.**

**Until then… Make a monkey happy, just one review at a time…**

**Cheez: Well, nice chapter (FINALLY), altough Naruto and Hinata's opponent was a tad weak/easy. And what happened to the guy being able to revive himself for every soul he had stashed away? Well, as for personal things, (Plz don't kill me for advertising Mr. Monkeh) if any of youz gaiz wants to join a Bleach RP forum... Join only like 4 people so far... We have a nice figthing system, involving no stats, just RP, and watchful admins. SO HAI THAR.**

**Translations:**

Hokkyokuyou no Tenkou: Weather of the Arctic Sea. This is Ten'ou's "other" name in his homeland, earned by his talent and skill in water and ice magic while almost all other Storm Mages focus on lightning.

Hikazekiri – Hikase: Ice-Wind Cutter – Ice Shackles. This is a binding spell which relies upon the Hikazekiri magic form.


	50. Intermission: From The Dust

Well, everyone. This is good ol' DarthMonkey, speaking to you from the dust. It's been years, and then more years. Since I stopped writing "Runaways", I've had adventures and found myself in a whole new place in life. I've learned a language (ironically, not Japanese!) and seen things I could have only dreamed of. I've found myself thrown to the other side of the world and back, for causes which I don't entirely understand. It has been an adventure, and I'm almost a different person because of it.

But to this day, "Runaways" has always been on the back of my mind. Barely a day has gone by that I didn't regret leaving it unfinished. Now, because of circumstances that I couldn't have anticipated, I've fallen back in love with the world that I spent so many hours creating. Thousands of reviews and hundreds of thousands of hits have convinced me that even though my writing style is so different now than it was back then, I want to finish what I've started.

I'll be writing for the rest of my life, so I hope that you all stay with me. Let's enjoy "Runaways" again, together, and at long last experience the end of the epic adventure together. - and I hope you'll be with me for my next work as well!

I have one request... I know it's not really the established way of doing things, and I know that I've asked for reviews before, but I want to know something. If you ever leave me a single review, do it now - just to tell me what you think about all this. Are you with me?


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